Autumn of Armageddon
by Karin-sama
Summary: This is the first chapter *let me know if you want it continued* of the Slayers, Karin-sama style. I added more characters and a twist to the original silly plot. *p.s. I follow Zelgadis around quite a bit, so this is a must read for all Zel fanatics!*
1. The Tegyrn Legend

  
  
Autumn of Armageddon  
by: Karin-sama   
shinigamis_wings@hotmail.com  
  
  
Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to say it, these characters are not mine. Well, a few of them are. If you recognize the name, then it doesn't belong to me, if you've never heard of it before, consider it mine. I took a bit of liberty with the original plot, but I guess that's what fanfiction is all about Also, Jaylin and Zel's song "Distant Serenade" was written by Michael McLean, not me. And my nephew came up with the title in the middle of the night. *Psst - I'm looking for someone permanent to put this if anyone has any helpful ideas?*   
  
Chapter 1: The Tegyrn Legend  
  
"During the days of the blood red sun,  
in the heat of a western summer,  
the Lord of Fire killed his own true love,  
and he shall ever mourn her."  
~children's rhyme of ancient Sairaag  
  
"Prepare to die!" The metallic scrape of a sword rang through the typical hush of trees ominously. A young girl crouched at the warning, leaping to the safety of the tree branches just in time to avoid being stabbed through. "What do you call that move?" The disappointed swordsman dropped his attack to ask. The tiny girl slipped down to walk away from her bewildered assassin.   
  
"It's called I don't want to play today." She turned from him, perching herself gracefully on a rock. Now that didn't make sense. She was always ready for a lesson. Something was wrong.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I just don't feel like it right now." Sheathing his weapon, he knelt on the ground before her so he could study her eyes. Seriousness replaced all his emotions.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I'm fifteen autumns old today, Zel." He furrowed his eyebrows as he studied the fallen leaves at her feet. Fifteen autumns? Already? Today? That made him seventeen autumns that day as well.  
  
"Perhaps you will not be chosen," even as he said the words, he knew the effort to raise her spirits was in vain. Of course she would be chosen. She was easily the loveliest creature who ever lived. At least she was to his eyes. Even now, with her features darkened with despair, she was still beautiful. He had known her for three years, yet, only now did he truly notice how enchanting her features were. She was small, extremely small, but perfectly proportioned in every detail from her pale ivory skin to her long straight silver-blue tresses that ghosted about her shoulders like a halo. In fact, she possessed only one flaw, but it was too much to hope that they would notice that. Even he had taken a while to find it out himself. He looked up into her liquid cobalt eyes that were studded with silver. They stared back at him in agony.  
  
"When do they come?"  
  
She fought with her emotions a moment before answering. "They will arrive at sunset." Sunset. Three, perhaps four hours from now. Not enough time to say good-bye. A tear pooled then fell from his eye before he could stop it.  
  
"Now," her own voice cracked and a diamond tear of her own dropped into his hair. "There's no sense in crying. We knew this was going to happen." She was right, of course, but that didn't help anything. Knowing something was going to happen never fully prepared one for it. He sensed her looking down at him, waiting for a reaction. Anger, perhaps, but he felt nothing. Reaching up, he took her hand and pulled her down to hold her close. Three or four hours. It just wasn't long enough, yet he could think of nothing he wanted to say to her, so they just remained still.  
  
"I must go," she kept reminding him.  
  
"I know," was all he would say, but neither of them moved.  
  
"I really must go this time Zel," she twisted from his grasp to sigh at the sun. He snatched up her hand so she couldn't flee from him. At the touch, she turned, and brought his hand up to her lips to kiss it gently. "Good-bye Zel." Those words had never seemed so final. Never. She released his hand, and, surprisingly, he did not try to prevent her from walking away. He just sat there in the grass staring after her.  
  
It was the bugle that thrust him into action. The dreaded bugle that announced loudly the coming of the Mestronians. That sound made his skin prickle and a sudden chill spread through him. He couldn't just stay here and let her go. He had to try to do something. Leaping from his frozen position he sprinted toward Tegyrn.  
  
The ceremony had already begun when he reached the town. A half a dozen young women were gathered in the center plaza near the fountain. From these six only three would be chosen. The others would be forced to labor in the smithies for the rest of their lives. The leader of the Mestronians dismounted his enormous sandy beast that Zel guessed was a horse, but wasn't quite sure. He, in fact, had never seen a horse before, they were animals belonging only to the very rich, or the very powerful. There were three others with the first. In their gloved hands they bore chains. Zel shuddered as he skulked closer, trying not to attract any attention.  
  
"Greetings, Berihn," the elder of Tegyrn bowed to the hooded spokesman who stood as impenetrable as a fortress.  
  
"Greetings Elder," he said in a soft voice. His sharp black eyes were already scanning the waiting women for his three. Zel tensed, waiting, his fingers resting lightly on his sword hilt. "Your selection is low this year," he sounded disappointed.  
  
"The quantity of cream is always less than the milk, but it is the sweetest." At a snap from the elder's fingers the women lined up to face Berihn, eyes downcast and tears willed away. Moving along the line, he inspected each in turn, from their gracefulness to their teeth. Nodding he beckoned one of his men over to him. Then he pointed out his first choice. The tall winsome girl stepped forward with no hesitation. Her wrists and ankles were clasped in the cold unforgiving chains, the end of which hung from the man's belt. Again, Berihn pointed and again the girl was chained and led back. In terrible slow motion Berihn lifted his arm to make his last selection. Zel knew who it would be before he had pointed her out.  
  
Crying out, he drew his sword, feeling his strength flow up within him. He ran forward, straight for Berihn. However, all the power and speed he possessed was not enough. His attack was cut off with the clang of metal on metal. In the split second it had taken him to reach the object of his hate, the master of Mestronia had also drawn his sword, deflecting his blow easily. Now, they just stood facing each other, both waiting for the other to make a move to strike.   
  
"How dare you, boy," Berihn hissed, his weapon poised and ready. "What point are you trying to make?" Rough hands grasped his shoulders, pulling him down. The town officials had arrived to settle the matter and restore the peace. His sword was snatched from him and he was restrained while Berihn was allowed to make his last choice. Smirking arrogantly, he sheathed his sword and pointed. Zel hung in head in agony. There was nothing he could do now, and it had probably been foolish to try in the first place. Now, there was no hope for her, and he would be thrown into prison for disrupting a ceremony that had begun at the dawn of time.   
  
Ever since anyone could remember the Mestronians had come to Tegyrn. The village was set in a valley completely isolated from the rest of the known world. In fact, to most Tegyrners the valley was the known world. Every year all the girls who had fifteen springs, summers, autumns, or winters would be gathered in the center plaza near the fountain. The leader would select three to train as slaves. Mestronian slaves were the most expensive and the most thoroughly trained, but they always came from Tegyrn and no where else. They were the most rare and beautiful, desired most of all slaves for their grace and obedience. They were the pride of the village while the young men of Tegyrn were forced to work in the mines of the neighboring mountains for the alloys needed for the forging of blades. The unchosen girls would be apprenticed to smiths to give form to those alloys. For there was nothing more desired than a young Mestronian slave who bore a legendary Tegyrn sword.  
  
Three of those swords were handed to Berihn who strapped them to the back of his saddle. Zel was held powerless while the Mestronians mounted and rode away, the chosen trotting along beside them. She faded into the moonrise, and as he watched he realized that he had never even said good-bye.   
  
The pace the Mestronians set was easy at first. She knew that everything that was done to her hereafter would be part of a breaking. Being forced to trot beside horses was only the beginning of a long and extensive process to drown her will and suppress her spirit. She risked a sidelong glance at the man to whom her chains were clasped, paying special attention to his eyes. There was simply no emotion, they were hard and merciless. She shivered and almost tripped. The man paid no heed. It did not matter to him if she ran alongside his mount or was dragged through the dirt and sand. Just as long as she did not give any trouble.  
  
Then came the memories, as always when one is leaving a home for a new cold life. Memories of her parents. Those were not really as warm as they probably would have been had she lived anywhere else but Tegyrn. They had known from the moment of her birth that she would someday leave them, and made sure they did not get attached to her. There was nothing in her childhood that she could recall where they had made her feel loved or even wanted. They had loved her surely, and in loving her had chosen to keep their distance so their parting would be less painful. She was grateful to them for that, and only that.   
  
Then, of course, was the memory of her years with Zel. Her throat constricted with sudden emotion when she thought of him. Her most loyal and trusted friend. Her only friend. Her best friend.  
  
"Who goes there?" The sudden soft voice caused an intake of breath and a stiffening of her muscles. She had no weapon with which to defend herself except a small belt knife. Fingering it, she turned to face who ever it was who had questioned her.  
  
It was a boy, two years older than she at least, dressed in the garb of a woodsman. Undoubtedly, he lived in the forests that flourished along the sides of the valley for she had never seen him in the village. He was a bit on the short side, but he was taller than she with short purplish hair that hung in his sharp blue eyes in strands. Power radiated from his slender, lithe frame. All in all he made a handsome, if intimidating, adversary. He struck the first tiniest spark of real fear she had ever experienced, yet she was determined to be brave.  
  
"My name is Jaylin," she forced her voice to remain steady as she faced him, her belt knife at the ready.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Walking. You?" He seemed to lose a bit of his edge at her unexpected question.  
  
"I live here."  
  
"I guessed as much. Who are you anyway?" He was confused by her boldness, enough that he forgot to be tough and relaxed a bit.  
  
"I am called Zelgadis." She closed the distance between them, her fear put aside as she offered him her hand.  
  
"I am very pleased to meet you Zelgadis." He stared at her hand a moment, then into her eyes, then finally uncrossed his arms to return her handshake. She smiled at him. Her would be enemy lost his resolve and smiled back. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my walk."   
  
"Indeed? Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you." He might have been in the costume of a woodsman, but he had the charm of a gentleman. Offering her his arm, they continued alone through the forests. She had been fascinated by his nature. Their visits became more frequent until she went out to spend time with him everyday. He taught her much out there. . .  
  
A violent jerk on her chains brought her back to painful reality. Her guard gave her a cold stare. Drawing her courage, she stifled the terror he struck in her. She was going to make it through this, and she was going to be the most valuable slave ever to come from Mestronia. If she had to do this, she might as well do it right. At least she had one asset that no other Mestronian slave could ever hope to have. Her lips curled in a half smile as she looked up to the Tegyrn blade rattling slightly in its polished black scabbard. Of course, at Mestronia, she would only be taught to dance with it. The ancient dances of the blade known only to a minor precious few. Dances of the blade. Well, she knew a different dance.  
  
"You look like you're dancing, Zel," she had praised when he had shown her his impressive swordsmanship. He sheathed it gracefully, beaming at her with affection.  
  
"Do I?" She nodded. He had only been fifteen then, but his fashion of talking spoke of a wisdom beyond his years.   
  
"Where did you learn to do that?"  
  
"My father taught me. This is his sword."  
  
"It's beautiful." He reached down for her, pulling her up until she was tucked against him. Gently holding to her wrist, he guided her to the hilt at his waist.  
  
"Move with me," he breathed in her ear. Together they went through the forms, flowing one to the next in elegant rhythm. Thus was the first of many lessons of the sword.  
  
Tears wouldn't come. His agony was beyond tears. He would have followed her had he not been thrown into prison for the night so he just sat there in the cold dark Even the footsteps echoing through the corridor and the grating of the cell door was not enough to rouse him.  
  
"Zelgadis," the elder's voice reverberated off the emptiness of the place. The young man stood to bow respectfully. The elder sighed. "What exactly did you hope to accomplish out there?" Downcasting his eyes, he thought it best not to answer just yet. It was always better to remain silent during a chastisement. "You must have known that Berihn would have killed you and not had any qualms about it. The law gave him every right to do it too. You really should think these things through. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes elder." The only appropriate statement he could think of.  
  
"This is a ceremony that has been continued for centuries. The girls of this village consider it a great honor to be chosen for Mestronia, and you would deprive them of that?"  
  
"Yes elder."  
  
"But why?" He spoke before he could stop himself, completely overcome with raw emotion.  
  
"I love her. I cannot bear the thought of her alone in such a place being forced to do things against her will. I just couldn't let her be taken without trying to prevent it."  
  
"Listen, boy. She was lost to you before you even met her. You might as well just forget about her. Understood?"  
  
"Yes elder."  
  
"I'm trusting that I can release you now?"  
  
"Yes elder."   
  
"Come along then." He was led out of the prison and turned loose into the woods where he was told to 'stay out of mischief.' He nodded, agreeing with whatever he was told, for the time being at least. Yet already, in his mind, he was thinking of ways to get her back. No, there was no way he could defeat Berihn now, he was too weak and unskilled, but if he worked hard, there would come a time when he would be powerful enough to beat him. It would take meticulous planning, and he didn't have time to waste. Every minute was slipping by, every minute she was getting farther away from him. He had to work fast. In deep concentration, he unsheathed his sword, studying his perfect features in the reflection. It was time to begin.  
  
"It is time to begin," a harsh voice boomed above the nervous chatter of young girls. Trembling, they lined up to face their instructor. "The beginning, you will find, is the most difficult, and painful, but if you are obedient it will grow easier with time. You must learn now that you no longer belong to yourself. You are the possession of your master to do with as they please. Their word is law, and you are to follow that law with swiftness, grace, and silence. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal," Jaylin muttered absent-mindedly, receiving a deadly stare from the man who stood before her.  
  
"I beg your pardon, slave, did you say something?" She felt a prick of fear at his tone.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes?" Confused she thought desperately for what he wanted her to say.  
  
"Yes I said something." In a flash of motion she was thrust to the ground with her own swordtip pressed into her neck. Idly she wondered how a human being could move with such speed.  
  
"When addressing your owner always say as little as possible and end all statements with master, and another thing. You remain silent unless asked a direct question. If you fail to do so we will make you permanently mute. Now, do you understand?"  
  
"Yes master."  
  
"Good." She was released and she scrambled to her feet as the man pivoted to again face the others. "That goes for you all." Torn between agreeing and being dashed to the floor for not remaining silent the other girls remained perfectly still.  
  
"Now, shall we continue?" The headmaster paused to replace Jaylin's sword in the sheath at her hip. She lowered her eyes in embarrassment and the beginnings of enmity for this person. It took all of her will to resist the urge to shift her sheath. If her plan was to be a good slave, she was starting off poorly. In the end, she played her fingers over her hilt. The sword. Her sword. Something she would always have. Her constant companion. The only friend she would ever have again. It's name, she decided at that exact second, will be Zel. She knew that she would not remember him, not any part of him, but if she called her blade by his name she could retain at least that tiny comfort of him. It would be the only part of her past that she was determined to keep. Everything else, she knew, even her own name, would be obliterated by what was yet to come. Zel, she thought, it's name is Zel. I have to remember.   
  
"Meleyal," Berihn himself had come to teach her the dances of the blade. That was the only name she responded to then. Any previous identity had been erased by extensive training, or rather, breaking. Of course, her name could and more than likely would, change many more times before her death. The rights of any of her owners would be to call her whatever he pleased and she would be expected to answer to it. That was only one of the many pieces of slave etiquette.   
  
She said nothing, was expected to remain silent, only stepped into position. Arms clasped behind the back, left foot straight and right foot at a forty five degree angle to the left, heel of right touching toe of left, eyes downcast. Of course, that was the standing position. Any other time she was not wanted she was supposed to kneel somewhere out of the way.  
  
"Draw," came the cold command from Berihn as he studied her every motion from a few feet away. It should have made her feel uneasy, would have, in fact, had she been Jaylin of old. Now there was only Meleyal who felt no emotion. Mechanically, but not ungracefully, she drew her blade. A motion she had performed countless other times with. . .with. . .well, she couldn't exactly remember with whom. It didn't matter anymore. The feel of the sword was all that mattered right then. It's balance perfect in her grip. This was the last part of her training. Once this was mastered she would finally be prepared to be sold. Such a thought was exhilarating. The familiar ring of the draw echoed as Berihn also brandished his blade.  
  
"Now," he began. "Move with me." Every part of him had her deepest attention with those words. His tall slender powerful frame fluidly flowing from form to form. A wonder to behold. The sword just an extension of his arm. Enchanted, she copied his every move knowing that her attempts at matching his skill were clumsy and inept. Almost without cause, her right wrist twisted oddly with the motion of the sword and her grip on the hilt relaxed. The weapon clattered loudly and reverberated in the hush that followed her mis-step.  
  
Berihn stopped and faced her, eyes frozen black. She cowered from him, not from fear of being punished for her mistake, because slaves were never exposed to pain in their teaching, but fear of displeasing him. During her breaking, she had come to love and admire this man with such strength that the mere thought of his displeasure could hurt far worse than any whip. He held her paralyzed with his gaze as he stepped closer. Still, she was motionless as he knelt and retrieved her blade from the stone floor. Her mouth open in shock, she trembled in anticipation of what was to come.  
  
"What," the words came in a calm soft, but not soothing, voice. "Happened?" Since she really didn't know, she licked her lips nervously and bit her lower lip, looking down. The Tegyrn legend was pressed into her fingers. Berihn stepped back a few paces to observe her.   
  
"Again," came the order. He folded his arms, waiting for her to begin. She did know the forms that made up the dance, yet this was the first time she had ever tried to actually do it. Nervously, she firmly gripped onto the hilt, determined not to drop it again. Drawing a breath, the first form came easily, then the next, and the third. All seemed to be going well, and she almost caught what could have passed for a slight smile on her master's face, until the very same thing happened for a second time. Her eyes closed in embarrassment. To her the clatter of the sword was louder than the first time. How could she possibly have done it twice? She had never done anything wrong more than once. Hurriedly, she retrieved her weapon, ready to go once more.  
  
"Wait," she was held motionless. "Sheath the blade." Always obedient, she did as told while he came up to face her. Gently, if firmly, he took her right hand to examine it closely. "What is wrong with your wrist, Meleyal?" He had used her name. She was supposed to answer direct questions.   
  
"I do not know, master," she whispered after long hard thought to his inquiry. So quickly she gasped, he snatched up her left hand to examine it as well. Confused and scared, she tried not to shake. Apparently, he saw what he was looking for. At least, that was the only reason she could think of as to why he let her go so abruptly. It didn't account for why his eyes had grown so wide or why he was backing away from her.  
  
"Left handed," the words were a curse. "Demon." Moving his hands in the signs to ward off evil he backed out of the practice room and shut the door with a clang. The lock clicked into place and she was left alone, tears brimming in her cobalt eyes. That was when the memory came. Or perhaps it was a dream, she couldn't quite tell the difference anymore.  
  
"Here," he said, handing her his sword. "Go through the forms. I'll watch you." Smiling, her fingers played over the hilt. It was familiar to her now. He had taught her, but this was the first time when he would not be guiding her movements. He stood a pace or two away, arms crossed in an old habit, watching with his odd cocked smile.  
  
She remembered that she had dropped the sword then too. More than once. He had taken her hands like Berihn had to look at them. Yet his reaction was more gentle.  
  
"You poor thing," he told her.  
  
"What is it Zel? What's wrong with me?"  
  
"Nothing really, at least, as far as I'm concerned. The world, however, will have a different view."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Well, here, let me show you. See how this bone is slightly curved? You can tell even through the skin. It will prevent you from ever using your right hand in swordplay."  
  
"This is bad?"  
  
"No, it just happened. However, I'm the only one who thinks that way anymore. Out there, out in the world, if that is discovered about you, they will take you for evil. Anyone who is left handed is associated with the demon race."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they are different from most everyone else."  
  
"I don't understand them at all."  
  
"That's all right. You don't even have to go out there, if you don't want to. You could stay here with me, for always."  
  
"No, I can't."  
  
"Whyever not?"  
  
"I'm fourteen autumns old. The Mestronians will come next year. I will either be picked for a slave, or apprenticed to a smith." She knew that he didn't want to hear that, in fact, she didn't want to hear it either, but it was the truth. And there must be nothing but the truth between them. Yet, in revealing this to him, she had caused some tension.   
  
"In any case," he shook her last sentence off and tried to recreate the mood that had begun when he had first handed her his sword. "How about we do the forms again? Except, use your left hand this time, and we'll see what happens."  
  
"Zel, you don't think I'm evil do you?"  
  
"No, it makes no difference to me what hand you use, to me, you can always be who you are. I'll never judge you for that."  
  
How kind he had been, how gentle. If only she could remember if he had truly been real, or just someone she had made up to keep her from being lonely. She did not know him, but she called him Zel. That was the only name she knew. It drew comfort whenever she invoked it, and that boy had always represented comfort to her. At any rate, he wasn't here now, and she was locked in this room. She had never been locked in anywhere. Slaves of Mestronia never had to be restrained or locked up because they had no desire to leave. At least, after they were broken. Before they were kept in chains, but they learned quickly. This was just another reason Mestronian slaves were valued so highly. Their loyalty to their masters was unconditional and complete. They would never betray him, they would always obey him, and they would never run away. Yet her master had locked her in this room simply because one small insignificant bone in her right hand was not formed perfectly. The injustice burned. He didn't even trust her enough to believe she wouldn't leave the room if he didn't want her to. The lock was raised, she heard it. Hopefully, she knelt awaiting whoever would come through the door. She saw no one, but a hand reached in and tossed a garment to the floor, then the door was slammed and the lock quickly replaced. Curious, she picked up the bit of cloth. This time she did not stop the tears from escaping down her cheeks. From now on, she would wear the Black.  
  
  



	2. Reunited With Ivory

Chapter 2: Reunited with Ivory  
by: Karin  
  
In truth, he was more angry at himself than afraid of her. After all, she had been broken and probably would stay where he told her to without having to be locked in, but he had acted on impulse, and to unlock the door now would prove he had made a mistake, however small. --but you did make a mistake, Berihn-- he accused himself in his mind as he marched away from his most promising slave. How stupid he had been not to have noticed that before. Left handed. What were the chances? He had prized her so much. She was perfect in every other detail. She was worth so much. He had dreamed of the profit he could make on her because of her tiny frame and beautiful, almost Elven, features, her obedience and grace were unsurpassed. He could have sold her for at least five hundred pieces of silver, if not more. Now, now she was completely worthless. The biggest problem now would be what he was to do with her. He couldn't keep her within the walls of Mestronia, and he couldn't allow her to go free because word would get around that he had failed to make a proper choosing and his reputation would be ruined. That left only one other solution. He shook his head, unwilling to think about that right then. He was concentrating so hard on not concentrating on that one particular thought, he didn't notice the slave rush up to him.  
  
"Master," even though she had said it with the utmost respect and had knelt in the proper fashion it was not appropriate for a slave to address her master at any time unless given permission when purchased. However, he was willing to make an allowance this once. At least it would take his mind away from the problem at hand. Besides, her voice rang with the tone of fear. He regarded the girl, Chatize, if he remembered right.   
  
"What is it, child?" Her whole trembling form communicated to him that there was an emergency of some kind that forced her to come to him and risk his disapproval. It also spoke of her soul torn between risking his displeasure or allowing him to find out the calamity himself.  
  
"Reskir sent me to find you, master. He wishes that you come to him at once."  
  
"Very well. Lead me to him." With relief she swept off the floor and beckoned him on, leading him through the many corridors of the place with swiftness and surety. He knew where she was taking him after a moment. The housing quarters of the Whites that lay toward the north of the building of Mestronia. That confused him. What could have gone wrong that Reskir required his assistance in the quarters of the Whites? They were the most elite of the Mestronian slaves. Young women who had completed the breaking and were ready to be sold. Slaves so obedient he knew he was being truthful when he told their new owners that they could be trusted with anything, including lives. What could have gone wrong? By the time Chatize and he had reached the quarter, Berihn was almost terrified with worry. He barely had the patience to allow Chatize, a Silver, herself, to open the door for him.  
  
"Reskir," he called as he burst into the room. "What's going on?" His sharp black eyes surveyed the scene. A small group of Whites were in various places about the spacious room, but all their eyes were focused on the same thing. In the far corner, was Reskir. A tall slender young man in his thirties with hair as black as coal and eyes to match, as were common features for the People of the Sands.  
  
"Lord Berihn," Reskir's lean form scrambled up in respect. His eyes were clouded with worry and his hands simply refused to stay still. Berihn looked down at the pallet that his Whitemaster had been kneeling next to. On it lay a tall willowy girl of eighteen. He remembered choosing her. She was called simply Ebonis because of her features and docile disposition. Her taskmasters adored her and her peers admired her, and he himself held her in high value. He took Reskir's place at her side to examine her. Her eyelids fluttered and she twisted and thrashed in absolute misery. He need not even touch her, he could feel the heat of fever radiating from her.   
  
"A brain fever, Lord Berihn," Reskir voiced, trying to be helpful, but Berihn knew. "We're going to lose her." He also knew that, but he was not willing to admit it. Shaking his head, he stood. He'd already lost one slave that day, and even one slave was too many. But if he was going to keep her alive something had to be done and quickly.  
  
"Deseray," he barked and a long legged White jumped up. "Put those legs of yours to good use. Run to Kinos and bring back a Healer. Hurry." Before the last words had passed through his lips she was out the door, her skirt hiked up to the knee so it would not impede her motion. "Kattet," a moon haired head bowed before him. "Get some water and clean cloths. The rest of you, leave here." When they had gone he again knelt beside Ebonis, Reskir waiting on the other side of the pallet.   
  
"I don't think she's going to make it, Lord Berihn."  
  
"Yes, she is."  
  
"Even if she does--"  
  
"She'll be fine." He knew, oh he knew, he just wished that it wasn't true. He needed Ebonis. She was already sold. Promised to a wealthy merchant who lived some distance away who had always wanted a Mestronian slave. She had to make it. And she had to make it with her mind still intact. Kattet returned with a basin of water and the cloths he had sent her for. He took them and sent her away along with Reskir to watch for Deseray.  
  
"Listen Ebonis," he spoke to her in the gentlest tone he could use as he applied the cloth to her forehead. "You're going to live." Another cloth was used to cool her face, neck, and chest. He knew she was trying to pay attention to his words, but the fever of her mind was making it difficult. "I want you to live."  
  
An hour passed. Ebonis' strength waned and she was forced to be still. Too exhausted to move. Every once in a while a shudder would course through her small frame followed by a whimper of pain. Berihn cradled her head in his lap and held her hand. Trying to communicate to her that he was there for her and that she was to hold on. Her breathing slowed, oh how slow and soft. A few times he could have sworn that she stopped. It was during one of those times when he was trying to determine if she had indeed stopped breathing when Reskir's knock came on the door.  
  
"They are coming Master Berihn," he said briefly, then was off again.  
  
"Did you hear that, Ebonis?" He soothed her whimpers. "Help is on the way."  
  
Reskir sprinted to join with the small company approaching Mestronia from the east. Deseray was hurrying them along without being rude. Her dismay that they could not travel as fast as she apparent as she trotted a few paces ahead then turned to signal them onward. Reskir was surprised to see that it was not the Healer of Kinos that was with her, but a tall man. A man dressed in red who walked with a staff. His presence radiated power, everything about him commanded respect and obedience. He alone was enough to make Reskir stop short. Yet there was another with him as well. This man, or at least, Reskir guessed it was a man. He couldn't tell as his face and entire body was hidden in an ivory costume, cape, hood, and a throat guard pulled up to conceal his face. A scabbard hung ominously at his waist. Reskir was immediately wary.  
  
"Deseray," his hand slipped about her slender shoulders as he pulled her close to talk with her. The duo stayed a pace behind. "Berihn will not be pleased. He asked for a Healer, and you bring these strangers."  
  
"'Tis not a stranger, master," her voice pitched low. "'Tis Rezo." Gasping, he released her. She had brought one of the five wise men of the age. The Red Priest. With a shiver he wondered how Berihn would accept that.   
  
The group entered the dark stone starkness of Mestronia where Rezo immediately took control of the situation.  
  
"Child," he addressed Deseray. "Take me to the girl whom you wish me to restore." She nodded and hurried forward. Rezo took five steps before turning to regard his hidden companion. "You shall remain here until I come for you." Silently, the man leaned against the stone doorway to wait. Reskir hesitated a moment. Perhaps he should stay there to guard this suspicious character? No, he knew the type. He had been commanded to remain there, and he would. Besides, he had no desire to stay in the presence of such a man. Reassured by his judgment of character, Reskir trotted behind Deseray and the sage.  
  
The master of Mestronia leaped up when the Red Priest entered the room. His hand instinctively gripped his sword hilt and the blade was half exposed. Rezo lifted his staff to prevent him from fully drawing.  
  
"Stay your hand," he commanded in a voice soft but demanding.   
  
"Who are you?" He would have to have a serious talk with Deseray when he got rid of this stranger.  
  
"I am Rezo." He didn't know whether he should relax or draw his weapon. In the end he released his white knuckled grip on the hilt. Rezo, fabled sorcerer, and a Healer, the great sage himself was standing before him, his closed blind eyes boring holes through him.  
  
"Honored Rezo," no matter his personal feelings about the blind man, he did need his assistance. "I require your aid."  
  
"Yes, I know. Step away and I shall heal her." Berihn relinquished his place near Ebonis, who was so still at that moment he was sure she was already dead, to allow Rezo to approach. The tall man knelt to place his hands on her forehead. A spell, or perhaps it was a prayer, was uttered in soft tones too low for Berihn to understand.  
  
Immediately, Ebonis gave a sigh of relief and her breathing eased, becoming more regular. Berihn gave his own sigh of relief when he touched her, searching for any sign of fever. Indeed, she was healed. She opened her eyes for which she received the first part of her name to look at her master. He found gratitude there, that and drowsiness.  
  
"Sleep, Ebonis," he told her, but she had already slipped into that wonderful painless sleep that follows a fever. Berihn dropped his smile as he straightened from the pallet.  
  
"Will she. . . it was. . ."  
  
"A brain fever, yes I know. Worry not. Her mind has not been damaged. She may still be sold." Berihn pretended he didn't hear the tone that Rezo said the word sold. It was a living, and if he didn't do it someone else would.   
  
"I owe you much thanks. I hope you will accept the only way I can properly give that to you. I offer you any slave in Mestronia." Rezo straightened, considering how to handle this situation. He could not refuse the gift, that would be above rudeness, yet he had no use for a slave.  
  
"Such a generous offer, Lord Berihn," he began, choosing his words carefully. "Unfortunately, I have neither the means nor the time to make a proper selection of your children. However, I shall let my servant choose for me."  
  
"As you say," Berihn bowed and opened the door to lead Rezo out. On the way, the sorcerer paused to instruct the ivory clothed man who still waited patiently by the door. His voice pitched low so Berihn could not hear.  
  
"This man has given me a slave. As you know, I have no use for them. Therefore, I am giving the choice to you to do as pleases you."  
  
"But Rezo," he boldly called his master by his first name, his voice even softer than the other's. "I have no use for one either."  
  
"Come now, I understand that it would be difficult for a man such as you to find a woman. Certainly you would have a good use for an obedient young girl." An ivory gloved hand clenched in hate at the last words, but the eyes showed nothing. "I will be waiting for you. You know your task." With that the Red Priest left Mestronia.  
  
"Lord?" Berihn called Ivory, the only name he could give him in his mind, from his fixed position of staring after his master. "Would you like to inspect the Whites?"  
  
"No, it does not matter what her station is. My lord has a specific fondness for girls with certain characteristics." Maybe there was some chance she was here somewhere. Maybe this choice would be to his benefit.  
  
"If you would be so kind as to describe them?"  
  
"The slave must be of very slight frame, with hair the color of blue silver and eyes of cobalt studded with stars."  
  
"Indeed? Is that all?" Ivory paused to think on that a moment.  
  
"Yes," he said at last. Berihn nodded slowly, thinking.  
  
"There is one who matches the description. Wait here and I will bring her for your inspection." Pivoting, he walked swiftly from the man's presence. What luck! There was only one in Mestronia such as he described. Meleyal. Now he would not have to kill her, and he wouldn't lose any profit had an expensive slave been picked. He prayed that the Ivory Stranger was ignorant enough not to know the meaning of Meleyal's black garment, and if he did that it would not matter.  
  
The lock was lifted and the door opened easily on well oiled hinges. Meleyal knelt hurriedly hoping she would be given a second chance to prove herself. Berihn stepped inside, a figure of power and majesty. She trembled just a tiny bit in anticipation.  
  
"Pick up your sword and come with me." She scrambled to obey, wondering if she were following him to her execution. Having been alone in the room for a long time she had nothing to do but think about her situation. It had dawned on her sometime during the lonely darkness that Berihn had no use for her and she would be killed. She had been frightened, but now she was only numb. He led her to the front door where a person waited. She relaxed, if only a little. Undoubtedly this man had bought her, but why? She was a Black, worthless.  
  
"Will she do?" Berihn asked as Meleyal stepped into position. The man stared at her intently, saying nothing. As though he had gone into a trance. "Will she do?" He repeated the question sharper. He did have better things to do after all. The Ivory Stranger rested his blue eyes on Berihn. They had changed. No longer were they emotionless. They shone, haunted for some reason.  
  
"Yes," his speech was slow and dreamlike. "Yes, she is perfect."  
  
"Then the matter is closed. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have other business to attend to." Both men nodded to each other, happy with the outcome of the transaction. Silently, Meleyal followed her new master out of Mestronia.  
  
"How are you called?" He began to speak with her when they were without the walls.  
  
"Meleyal, master."  
  
He stopped, turning back to stare at her. Startled, she almost forgot to step into the appropriate stance. After careful scrutiny, he reached for her sword belt, twisting it so the scabbard rested against her right thigh. She drew her eyebrows down in puzzlement, but did not prevent him. "Be who you are," he commanded as he released her. She barely stopped herself from gasping. He knew! How did he know? He confused her. He appeared to know nothing about slave value, yet he had noticed immediately that she was left handed. And why, if he was so concerned about her being herself, had he not revealed his own face to her? What was he so ashamed of that he must hide it from the world? These questions, however, would never be answered unless he volunteered the information.  
  
"I ask again," he broke into her thoughts. "How are you called?"  
  
"Meleyal, master."  
  
"Meleyal?" He seemed puzzled. "How about this then: what is your name?"  
  
"Meleyal, master." He shook his head.   
  
"Who were you before you were Meleyal?"  
  
"I do not remember, master."   
  
"Not anything?"  
  
"No," she wondered if she were lying to him. Perhaps she did remember. There were some things that would rise into her mind, but they were dreams, she thought. "Well. . ." she hesitated before going on, afraid of his displeasure.  
  
"Be who you are," he encouraged, yet his eyes were so cold.  
  
"I sometimes think I remember things, but I cannot tell if they are truly memories or not. I'm sorry, master."  
  
"No, it's not your fault. I will not ask you anything further. Come, we must reach Hopesturn Oak before full night." He walked west at a quick pace. She followed after, trying to remember anything that he would wish to know about her past.  
  
They walked until sunset. Then, Master, as she would from then on call him, even in her mind, chose a place for them to spend the night. Hopesturn Oak was close and since the topography consisted of forests it wasn't difficult to find a secluded place. A small fire was constructed mostly for light purposes as it was spring.  
  
"Sit," he told her and she did, stiffly. "We will wait here for my companion," he went on, lowering his slender form to the grass. "After he comes we will have to find you some decent clothing. I'm sure you cannot fight in that. Besides, we wouldn't want everyone to think I was a fool for choosing a Black." Now she was doubly confused. He had known all along, she was of no value. So why had he taken her? He was a strange sort of person, she eventually decided, yet he was her owner no matter what she thought of him. They fell into silence then, though had protocol permitted her to speak she would be asking many questions, starting with his name. Woe to a curious slave!   
  
A bit of bread was given to her, though Master ate nothing himself. He seemed determined to keep his face concealed from her. She tried not to wonder about what he looked like and ate the bread, slowly.  
  
Even in his elation, he forced himself to remain cold. She was there, sitting across from him, his slave. It was her, no matter if Berihn had changed her name. He ached to touch her, hold her, but he kept back. Although as her master he reserved the right to do anything he liked with her, he wanted it to be her wish. The pain of everything threatened to crush him of a sudden, as he looked at her, and his weariness rose.  
  
"You will still be here when I awake?" It was a question, not a command. It confused her, he saw.  
  
"Of course, master," and he knew she was telling the truth. He smiled, but she couldn't see and covered himself with his cloak to sleep.   
  
It was always the same. Always the same. He was still a human stripling of seventeen alone in the forests outside Tegyrn. Practicing with his sword. He needed to be strong if he was to get Jaylin back. Then the ringing melodiously echoed and he froze. He was no longer alone. His sword poised, he pivoted around to find the source. In turning, he was almost knocked in the head by a staff. Suddenly, he was face to face with his grandfather, whom no one had heard from in ten years. He was frightened, almost panicked in fact, yet held hypnotized to the spot. He fought to calm his breathing, but it came, despite his efforts, quick and shuddering.   
  
"Do you wish to be strong, Zelgadis?" He didn't say anything even though that was indeed what he wanted. "Help me search for the Philosopher Stone and I will give you power. You will be completely transformed." He didn't remember agreeing, but he must have. Red light drifted from the staff clutched in Rezo's hands and enveloped him. The world became a blinding eruption of crimson pain and he screamed.  
  
Sitting up sharply, shaking and sweating, he stared at his hands by the light of the dying fire. The gloves he wore were meant to conceal, and they did, except for his fingers. These he needed free for sorcery. The blue color of them always surprised him after one of these dreams, yet he knew the shock should have disappeared by now. His hands clenched into fists almost involuntarily in hate. He bit back a curse when he noticed Jaylin propped up on one elbow, studying him. He forced himself to calm down, for her sake.  
  
"Go back to sleep, child," he would not call her Meleyal, ever. She looked uncertain. "All is well. Lay down. It's all right." Unconsciously, she lifted an eyebrow, but she did arrange herself to go back to sleep. He watched her and sighed. He watched her for a long time, all the while thinking -- just look at us, Jaylin. Look at what has become of us -- and also wondering what it could have been like, had Mestronia never existed. He rose, after a time, to patrol their campsite. Sleep having been denied him this night. It was, of course, pointless to walk around in circles all night, but he really had nothing else to do in the remaining hours before dawn. He was thankful when it grew cool because he could bank up the fire. As he was thus occupied, Jaylin awoke again to watch him. He knew she was curious, had always been curious, but he was not ready to tell her. He could feel her eyes studying him as he coaxed the fire back to life. Not yet, Jaylin, I can't do this yet.  
  
On a sudden, she scrambled to her feet, her hand gripping her sword hilt. "Master," she cried in warning. He spun, gathering a spell for whatever had alarmed her. A tall man shrouded in a midnight cloak stumbled into the circle of firelight. He cringed away from the fireball that would be hurled at him any second.  
  
"Peace!" He cried his hands up defensively. "Lord, peace!" Then he collapsed in the grass, panting. Zelgadis rushed up to him, turning him so he was on his back. The left side of his face and all of his neck and upper chest had been burned badly as was his right arm from hand to elbow. Mutilated as he was, his features were still recognizable. It was Zolf. The one whom he had come to meet. Afraid the man would die on him, he checked the unhurt wrist for a pulse and bent down close to hear his breathing. His close position startled the burned man and he wrestled out of Zelgadis' grip mistaking him for an enemy, then, in a fit of hysteria, clawed away the cloth that covered his face.   
  
Meleyal gasped in spite of herself. Her master's features clearly revealed to her now. She shuddered in horror. She was the slave of a chimera, it seemed. His skin was blue and there were insets of dark blue stone in it along his jawline and around his left eye. Probably the other too, yet she could not see it for his bluish purple hair was in the way. He turned that monstrous face towards her while his hands held the man down.  
  
"There is a stream that runs south a short distance from here. I need you to help me get him there," his words skimmed over her brain. "Child, come here, I need you." Biting her lip to keep from screaming, she hurried to her master's aid. Together they half propped up, half carried the burned man to the stream. There Master mixed water with some herbs he brought from a pocket in his cloak to make a poultice of sorts. He took the man's shirt and ripped it into strips. After soaking them in his concoction he put the makeshift bandages in place. All the while, the man seemed to be unconscious. He made   
him as comfortable as possible then sat to watch the sun rise. Jaylin knelt some distance away, shivering in what he supposed was fear. Fear of him, of course. It hurt that she should fear him. It hurt that she didn't know him. Above all, it hurt to be him. Every once in a while he sensed her raise her head to look at him. He hadn't replaced his mask, it was futile to do so now. He sighed.   
  
"Come to me," he called her. She had to obey, it had been drilled into her for three years, it was involuntary. When she had reached him she knelt again, her head almost touching the ground. He hated that position. Shaking his head, he cupped her chin to raise her eyes up. "You are frightened of me," he said as a statement of fact. She gave him no reaction, yet her eyes told him he was correct. "You have no reason to be. You must trust me when I say that I will never hurt you."   
  
"Yes, master." He resisted the urge to push her hair back from her face.  
  
"This was not my choice. I was like you once."   
  
"Yes, master." Such a word. Such a horrible, emotionless word. He sighed again. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand, and it was too soon for her to be exposed to all the truth. Luckily, his servant stirred and his attention had to be turned to him.  
  
"Zolf," he went to his side. The man's dark green eyes were opened and surprisingly focused. His healing spell having taken its course. "What happened?"   
  
"I found it, Lord. I saw it." His heart leaped. It was found. Finally. After three years of planning, it would be his. The things he could do. Things could go back  
to the way they were.   
  
"Where is it? Certainly you brought it with you?"   
  
"No, lord. It was taken."  
  
"By whom?"  
  
"The sorceress, Lina Inverse."  
  
"What was she doing with the Dragon Fangs?"  
  
"What is she doing anywhere?"  
  
"I'm assuming she is the one who did this to you?"  
  
"Yes, lord. Flare Arrow."  
  
"We'll have to go after her then, won't we? You don't, by any chance, know where she went?"  
  
"No, lord."  
  
"No matter. We can trace the item now that we know who has it, and when you are ready we shall go."  
  
"As you say." His eyes closed and Zelgadis stepped away. Away from his servant. Away from his slave. Away from everything.  
  
  
  



	3. Regretful Memory

Chapter 3: Regretful Melody  
  
Before he walked away, he looked at her. Such a stare. She almost shuddered, yet   
there was something else. A distant thought that peered at her from the corner of her mind vision. It danced and shimmered there until she turned to confront it and learn of it, then it dashed away. Quite frustrating, so frustrating in fact that she refused to think about it anymore.   
  
Escaping from all thought, she drew her sword, watching the rising sun glimmer off its unblemished surface. It's feel seeping deep into her consciousness. She began the forms, slow at first then speeding up to rapid succession. Somehow, no matter how many times she did this it always managed to soothe and challenge her. She pushed herself constantly questioning if she could go any faster or any more precise. It was a comforting procedure. It reminded her of things. The things that danced behind her mind vision. Maybe, if she did it fast enough and perfect enough she could catch them before they disappeared.   
  
"What are you doing?" Her master's voice cut through her and she sheathed her sword with such speed it was a wonder she didn't accidentally impale herself with her own blade. "Just stop, right there!" He had never been so sharp in speech with her. It surprised her and she froze half way into her kneel.   
  
"It displeases you, master?" She was being bold asking him a question like that, but it seemed that if she didn't ask she would never know how she was to behave. He took a deep intake of breath, calming himself.  
  
"Yes, it does." She stood straight. "What was the first command I gave you, child?" She took a moment to give that hard thought.   
  
"Be who you are," she quoted. "Master."  
  
"Yes, and you aren't doing that, are you?"  
  
"Yes, master, I am."  
  
"No, no you're not. If I had not come a few minutes ago what would you be doing?" She glanced at her sword hilt at her hip. "Exactly." She thought he smiled slightly. Then he did the impossible, or so it seemed to Meleyal. He unsheathed his sword from the ivory scabbard. "Move with me." Time slowed. That phrase. She knew it. The voice. She knew it. Thinking furiously, she did as commanded. They began, mirror images of each other, right down to their blades. She had never paid much attention to his sword before. There was something about it. The hilt was traditionally, or perhaps it wasn't traditional, wrapped with strips of ivory cloth. There really was no crossguard to speak of. The blade was beautiful with its slight curve. She recognized it, every detail was exactly like her own. This man, this creature, possessed a Tegyrn blade! Such a revelation. Tegyrn. She had. . .no, no she hadn't. Another fantasy. Mestronia had been her only home. Or, at least the only home she knew of.   
  
"Prepare to die," was the abrupt cry. Stunned, she fell out of form. It was her friend's, no her master's voice, yet why should he say such things to her when all she was doing was what he himself had commanded? Reason told her to run, but she had long ago left reason behind. Her training told her that he had every right to take her life, and she should take it with elegance. How odd, she thought as she knelt to his inevitable stroke, that she had escaped Berihn's sword to be killed by her master who had chosen her from many others of more value.  
  
"What do you call that move?" This was the worst deja vu she had ever experienced. It was even worse than her dreams. She was absolutely certain that this had all happened before, but that could not be. She put a hand to her temple to soothe the thoughts.  
  
He cursed himself, again and again. It was too soon. He had really done it that time. She really thought he was going to kill her. Imagine. It had been going so well. He reasoned it safe to try to probe her memory. It seemed that recognition had flashed in her midnight eyes when he had bid her to move with him. At least she did remember what he had taught her. Anything else, he supposed, was too much to hope for. Yet how could it be that she not remember? His appearance indeed had been altered, but he was still the same person. While she on the other hand, looked exactly the same, but it was not his Jaylin who knelt before him. Revelation was upon him now as he stared at her. Be who you are, he had told her then it angered him to see that she was doing exactly that. No, that wasn't quite right. That did not anger him, it was the fact that her personality had been altered so completely that being herself meant being someone entirely different than the one he knew. He had to accept that for them to move onward.   
  
"Rise, child," he bid her. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought there was relief in her expression and motion as she stood. "I would speak with you." She gave a slight shrug of confusion, but she came to sit on the ground close to him.  
  
"Tell me," he began. "All you can remember."  
  
"Everything master?" Zel gestured to the sleeping Zolf.  
  
"We have the time." She gave a stuttered half laugh.  
  
"I hardly know where to begin, master."  
  
"How about Tegyrn? All Mestronian slaves originally lived in Tegyrn."  
  
"Of that I'm afraid I can tell you nothing, master."  
  
Though it wasn't from lack of trying on her part. She was trying. She had been trying. Ever since she had met this man she had been trying. Yet trying wasn't getting her anywhere, except closer to a headache. There was nothing before Mestronia, nothing. Except. . .except the. . .the.  
  
"Sword!" She sprang away from him as though afraid it would come to life.   
  
"Yes?" He probed. "What of it?" Her arms wrapped themselves around her. She was shaking, oh why? As quickly as she had jumped up she was again back on the ground. There was a sword, its gleam brilliant in the light, and in its reflection was . . . was. She massaged her temples, begging the memory to come into focus. Not so fast, slow down, I can't quite see. Then came other memories. Flashes of pain. Flashes of torture. Flashes of her own breaking. She hugged herself closer to ward these off, concentrating on the reflection in the sword blade. The sword blade that had vanished in the swallowing darkness of Mestronia.   
  
"No," she sobbed. "No, I can't see. I don't know."  
  
What had he done? If he wasn't careful he was going to destroy her completely. She writhed before him, curling herself into a smaller and smaller ball, trying to shut out something that was going on inside her head. He hesitated. Perhaps it would be worse for her should he try to bring her out of it. Perhaps she would remain like that unless he did try to bring her out of it. In the end, he knelt to grasp her tiny shoulders. He pulled her to her feet and shook her slightly. Her eyes looked beyond, haunted.  
  
"Come back," he commanded. "Come back!" Her tense muscles relaxed completely and he laid her out in the grass. That was it. He was not going to try to revive her memory ever again. Anything that could bring her this much pain that was brought on by him was intolerable. It would just have to suffice that she was with him, that was just it. She lay limp, her breathing becoming more regular. Her eyes focused on him and she began to sit up, but he held her with an upraised hand.   
  
"Stay. I'm not displeased by this. I'm going to leave you for a little while, but I shall return. You will be here?" She swallowed and nodded, still not quite back to normal. It would do her good to be away from him, he decided and stood.   
  
He did not return until well after nightfall. Jaylin had covered Zolf with her cloak to shield him from the nighttime chill. She was curled next to the fire, asleep. So small. She was so small and he had hurt her. He, who had once been her closest friend in the world. From now on, he vowed, he had to be careful. Careful in speech, and motion. She was so delicate, and it was now obvious that he could shatter her with his insistent prodding. Shaking his head at himself he lay down as close to her still form as he dared, so he could watch the rise and fall of her breathing until dawn. And then, then they would depart in search of Lina Inverse.   
  
Her ears pricked at the sound. He had returned. She fought the urge to prop herself on her elbows to regard him. His eyes, his cold blue eyes, were studying her closely. There was no sound, he never managed to make any sound, yet she could sense all his movements. For all his strangeness, she felt better knowing he was there. True, he made her remember things she'd rather not remember, but being with him might get her closer to her ultimate goal of remembering who she had been before Mestronia. She gave a slight shuddering sigh and allowed the feeling of his presence to lull her to sleep.   
  
The reflection in the sword blade came into focus. A boy. The boy. Every night she had to re-recognize him. He came to her in her dreams so often it was always surprising to her that it took her so long to realize who it was. He reached for her hand which she gave to him willingly. She trusted him. She did not even know his name, but she trusted him. They were friends. He smiled.   
  
"Jaylin," he spoke the name as if it should mean something in a tone soft and soothing, but it was the voice itself that frightened her the most. It was the voice of her master from the tongue of this boy. Only, it wasn't him anymore. Her hand was now encompassed by stone. The hands of the chimera who now owned her. Trying to regain possession of her hand she screamed.   
  
And then it was sunrise. Hallowed blessed sunrise. A dream, Meleyal, only a dream. Yes, so if that was a dream, then what was she doing here? What was wrong with her memory retention these days? She didn't know who she was beyond that she was called Meleyal, and she didn't know what she was doing in the middle of the woods by herself. No, not quite right. There was a man closeby. He was watching her. His name was Zolf. All right, that was fine. He was a servant. She was a slave. Ah, the revelation that comes with sunrise. A slave. Someone owned her. She wasn't alone. They were here waiting for Zolf to recover enough to walk.   
  
"You're awake," there was the voice that she knew. It had a calming effect on her nerves. Such a soothing tone.   
  
"Good morning, Zel," she greeted without turning around. That was natural. This was familiar. Familiar, and yet odd.   
  
"The same to you," came the slightly surprised return. This was the beginning of a great day. For the first time she felt completely whole and without fear. Unfortunately, as soon as it had begun the memories were suddenly withheld from her. She had made the mistake of turning around. Her master was there, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, regarding her with the beginnings of a smile on his stone face. Her master. Why must everything be so confusing? As though she were trying to keep straight two completely different lives. Every time she turned around there was something that she should know, yet had to really think on before she got it. And now that she had it, the rest came back.   
This man was her master. This man was a chimera. This man was dangerous. She knelt, awaiting his command.  
  
So close. She had been so close. Why had she turned around? She had almost had it. She had even unknowingly said his name. Now, it was gone. Whatever progress she had made was gone. His hopes depleted a bit as he watched her kneel, knowing that she had suppressed all knowledge of "Zel" when she had seen him. That was fine, for now. He could savor that moment when she had bid him good morning for a long time. So he let her stay kneeling for a moment while he roused Zolf.   
  
"We are ready to leave if you are," he told his servant. Zolf stood. The healing spell had finished its work and he was once again whole. "Come then." He stooped to get Jaylin's cloak from the ground. When he passed her, he draped it around her shoulders. "You are accompanying us as well, I trust?" She rose, securing the cloak so it wouldn't fall off.  
  
"Of course, master."   
  
"We're off then." She followed diligently behind while Zelgadis trotted up a few paces to walk with Zolf. He was certain his servant would have a few questions and he had some as well.   
  
"She's my slave," he started right off answering the typical first inquiry he knew was to come. Zolf nodded.  
  
"Why is she here though? You have no use for slaves such as her."  
  
"Rezo seems to think differently. I took her only to save his reputation. She was originally supposed to belong to him. He, however, gave her to me."  
  
"I would have thought you'd have abandoned or sold her by now."  
  
"I selected her myself. She's very special to me. Understand?"  
  
"Yes lord."  
  
"Good."  
  
"There is something I don't understand though. Why did you choose a Black?"  
  
"I told you, she's special."  
  
"Is she the one you have been looking--?"  
  
"Yes. She is the one."  
  
"Extraordinary. Surely she does not remember?"  
  
"I'm not sure. You see, every once in a while she will remember bits and pieces, but never enough for the whole thing to become clear. Just this morning she called me by my name, yet I don't think she really knew what she was doing. When I persuade her to think on her past it brings back memories of her breaking that are too painful for her to deal with. She suppresses them along with any knowledge of her previous life with me. A defense of the mind. That is why I am not trying to get her to remember anything, and you are to do likewise."  
  
"Of course." Zel nodded and dropped back a pace to speak with Jaylin.  
  
"You, child, are caught up in something very serious," he told her in a low tone. She gazed at him, interested and attentive. "Zolf and I have been searching for an item for a long time. Now, we know where it is and who has it. For us to retrieve it I need you not to be surprised by anything that happens."  
  
"Yes, master."  
  
"And you must be confident. Remember, you carry a sword and you have the knowledge of how it is used."  
  
"Yes, master. I will do as you say."  
  
"Good girl."   
  
They walked for the better part of the day. None of them being very talkative, there was no further conversation. Each brooded their own separate thoughts. Meleyal went back in her memory as far as she dared. Zelgadis went over his plan countless times. Zolf's only thought was of taking his revenge on Lina Inverse. It was only at late afternoon when Zolf began to question his lord.  
  
"Where exactly are we going?" He asked him bravely. Such was the privilege of being a servant.  
  
"I'm following the sense of her aura. I have no perception of where that will be, but my guess is that she is traveling to Atlas City."  
  
"You are going to risk going into a city that large?"  
  
"No, I plan on overtaking her long before she reaches it."  
  
"What if she will not be reasonable?"  
  
"We will worry about that when it happens."  
  
"Surely, you don't think you can just walk up to her and ask for her to give it back."  
  
"I intend on paying for it."  
  
"What if she won't sell?"  
  
"As I said we'll worry about that when it happens. Silence now, Zolf, we have to find her first."  
  
"Master!" His hand moved instinctively to his sword when he heard her astonished cry. "Master, look." She was becoming more brave with every moment. No slave would address their master in such a manner unless they were completely at ease with him.   
  
"What is it, child?" As he neared the top of the hill where she was calling him from his mouth dropped open in surprise. A huge smoking crater lay at the bottom. A huge smoking crater that had once been a town. What could have destroyed it so utterly?  
  
"Zolf," he beckoned him. "Exactly how strong of a sorceress is Lina Inverse?"  
  
"It is rumored that she is the strongest sorceress alive."  
  
"Perhaps those rumors are true. Her presence is strong here."  
  
"But why would she just blow up an entire village?"  
  
"I'm sure there was a reason. In any case, she isn't too far ahead of us now. I doubt she made it any further than the next town. If we hurry, we can catch her tonight." Pulling his mask into place, he started off again, not even bothering to see if his servant and slave were following. He was so close now. Soon, Jaylin, you'll remember soon. He could hear her behind him. Even though she was extremely petite, she kept pace with her master easily. Her light footsteps causing only the slightest stirring of the dust that covered all these dry country roads. There was another sound that he distinguished as neither human nor bird, but somewhere in-between. In a moment, he realized it was Jaylin, humming. Wondering why she was doing that, he walked on, leaving her be. If it was calming or helpful to her, then it was fine with him. Besides, he knew the tune.   
  
She hummed because she found it incredibly soothing. It was familiar. Anything familiar was worth hanging on to. There was a memory that came with the tune. She knew she could bring it up if she could only remember the words and the person who sang them. When. The first word was when. All well and good, Meleyal, all well and good. When la la la la la. Oh, how did the rest of it go? She listened to herself. Willing the notes into words. When la la la la la.   
  
"When there is no one near," she heard her master softly sing under his breath. Her master? No, just his voice. His attention was still on the trail ahead, yet somehow his voice had whispered the first line in her ear. There was a bond there, somehow, with that song. She willed the voice to say more, but he refused. That was all right. He had given her what she needed. When there is no one near. There, that was it. Wonderful. Now for the memory part. That was what she had really been after. A memory. Of anything, really. Just something from her other life. A clue to what she had been before Meleyal. She had never given it any diligent thought, but Master seemed to think that there had been someone before Meleyal and so she must try to find out. Now she thought he might be right. All the things she had thought were dreams might in fact be real. If only she could grasp them and keep them. Concentrating hard, she took a step back in her mind, and saw.  
  
"Turned your sword in for a guitar I see," said Zel as he rather disappointedly sheathed his blade.  
  
"I don't have a sword so I can't turn it in now can I," she replied, teasing him. "The only way my mother would let me out of the house today was on an oath that I would practice this loathsome thing."  
  
"All right then." In a smooth, all his movements were smooth, motion he swept his arm, gesturing to her rock. He called it her rock because it was her favorite perch to watch him, talk to him, and just about anything else one would need to sit down to do. Her rock. But who was her? The question blurred the image and she forced it down. She had to be content to just watch this time. Too much at once would spoil all.  
  
She sat, guitar resting on her knee. He positioned himself on the grass as was their private arrangement. His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled up at her, but then, they always twinkled. "I pray thee, fair maiden, to strum me a tune."  
  
"What sort of tune handsome woodsman?"  
  
"Oh, I don't care. Something soft and soothing, but not melancholy."   
  
"Don't know anything like that."  
  
"Make it up then."  
  
"You don't just make a song up."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You're impossible."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Okay, here goes, but don't expect it to be good."  
  
"Fair deal." She thought a moment then positioned her fingers. They seemed to move by themselves as the melody caught on the air and floated all around her. It was a magical feeling. Very magical. Wait a minute.  
  
"Zel," she reprimanded, stopping the song.   
  
"Say, don't stop. You're doing great."  
  
"You didn't cast a spell on me or anything like that did you?"  
  
"Why would I do that?"  
  
"Well, that song just kind of happened and that usually isn't natural."  
  
"You're just talented that's all. I didn't do anything." She believed him of course. If it had been anyone else but him, she would have doubted. However, with him it was enough if he said it was so. There was never anything but the truth between them. That was as it should be. "So, are you going to keep on?"  
  
"Yes, but it needs something. Why don't you sing with me?"  
  
"Words?"  
  
"What else?"  
  
"You don't just make up words to a song you know."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Now who's impossible?"  
  
"Me? Why thank you."  
  
"No fair, that's my routine."  
  
"Interesting how it all turns back on itself isn't it?"  
  
"All right, you win." He smiled at her as she began the song again. "When there is no one near. When you feel lost and afraid. Listen and you will hear a distant serenade. Voices from long ago aren't really so far away. They'll heal an aching soul with their distant serenade. It's a melody that keeps on beckoning, comfort one another. Be what only you can be, strengthen each other. Maybe the time will come when you'll join an eternal parade of all the lives who've loved and sung a distant serenade."  
  
"That was wonderful, Zel."  
  
"Well, in any case, can you put that thing down now?"  
  
"Yes, I think that's enough practice for today."  
  
"Meaning we can get on with your other lessons?"  
  
"Ready when you are." He might have taken it lightly, but she stored it deep under lock and key. It was now their song and she would treasure it above everything. Even in Mestronia when it was really bad. . .  
  
Her throat constricted. Don't do this, Meleyal. It was too late now. She had gone too deep. She bit her lip. How many times had she hummed that song? Even when the words became faint and gone. She had it running through her mind all the while they. . .they. .   
  
"Oh," she cried out as her knees buckled and she crumpled into a tight protective ball. Using every ounce of her will to banish the images, and the pain. Why couldn't she only call up the good memories? The ones before Mestronia? Why must all her attempts end like this?  
  
Zelgadis noticed that the humming had ceased. That was not unusual, yet there was the sense of something being wrong. He turned to find her on the ground. She had been trying to remember things again. He immediately felt guilty. It was his fault she was doing this. If he had not asked her about her past she could have left it alone and been spared all this. Calling to Zolf, who was a few paces ahead, to wait a moment, he stepped back to grab his slave's tiny shoulders. She flinched away from the touch.  
  
"Come on," he beckoned her, gently at first then more loudly and forceful when she did not respond. "Come on!"  
  
She heard. It was coming from beyond the walls, beyond the chains, beyond the pain. Beyond. All she had to do was follow it to get out. That was all. Follow it and you will be free. She focused on the sound, and on the hands that gripped her shoulders so hard, and back to reality.  
  
Shaken, she didn't even realize what she was doing. Panting, she held onto her master's arms as for her life. Then pressed herself close against him in a move that would have gotten her into great disfavor had her master been anyone other than who he was. However, because he was who he was, he permitted her to seek refuge in his arms.   
  
"Thank the Light," she heard him whisper as she held completely still, waiting for her breathing to slow. Here Meleyal, she thought. It is safe here.   
  
"Is everything all right, lord?" The sorcerer came to join them.  
  
"Yes, Zolf, everything is fine now." He rose, helping her up as well. "And since it is so let's continue. I'm sure we will find her in the next village." Zolf shrugged, but the look in his eye spoke of the questions he would have later. No time to worry about that now. "Child," she still clung to his arm, whether for protection or for fear she would fall he couldn't guess. At his summons, she released him and stepped away, obviously embarrassed at her action. "Why don't you walk ahead for a while? I would be very sorry if this were to happen again and I not notice you were not behind me." She trotted ahead, eager to obey after her performance. While she went forward, Zolf stepped back.  
  
"I don't suppose," he began as he fixed his glove. "That I might be permitted to ask a question?"  
  
"Ask as you would," Zelgadis prompted, giving no promise of answering.  
  
"What exactly happened back there?"  
  
"I don't really know. I doubt that she knows. She was bringing up a memory and it turned out to be one she didn't want to remember. It's painful for her."  
  
"And for you?"  
  
"What I feel is beyond you." The sorcerer shrugged. Zelgadis found that habit annoying.  
  
"You don't really want her to remember who you are do you?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"No, if you did you would have told her exactly who you are. As it is now you haven't even told her your name."  
  
"I would rather she remember on her own."  
  
"You're afraid of what she might think of you."  
  
"That's enough Zolf." The pitch was low and dangerous. If Zolf had any sense he would drop the matter. As it turned out, Zolf had a shred left and he fell into silence.  
  
But it was entirely too late. He was, of course, absolutely right. Zelgadis really was frightened. He would never let anyone see it. Zolf only knew because he had been with Zelgadis for years and guessed how his mind worked most of the time. What would she think of him? If she knew that the monster who was her master was the very same person who had taught her the sword, her very best friend, what would she do? She would be repulsed of course. She was, in fact, disgusted with every detail about him now. Now, when she didn't know who he was. Would she be able to accept the change? He pondered her action. Why had she buried herself in his rocky embrace? Was it simply because he happened to be there, or was it something more? She couldn't care for him. It wasn't possible.   
  
A sudden thought crossed his mind, causing him to smile. It really didn't matter what she would have thought because he would be normal again soon. All he had to do was find Lina Inverse and life would be simple again.   
  
  
  



	4. Confrontation: the Notorious Lina Invers...

Chapter 4: Confrontation: the Notorious Lina Inverse  
  
They reached the small town a little after nightfall, exhausted. Zelgadis could tell that Jaylin was extremely tired, after all, she was very little and probably wasn't used to walking all day. Zolf was a little worse off, having weariness brought on by the use of the healing spell. Though, of course, none of them would admit it to him. Zolf was too proud, and Jaylin would kill herself to please him. It would be good to find an inn and get this mess over with. Lucky for them, the town was so small there was only one inn.  
  
"Zolf," Zelgadis huddled them together before entering. "I want you to stay outside. I don't want to run the chance that she might recognize you. Child, you are to come with me." Both nodded in agreement and Jaylin followed him inside the warm, cheery inn. Zel double checked to see if his mask was properly in place and led Jaylin up to the bar.  
  
"Tell me, good sir," he inquired of the bartender. "If Lina Inverse happens to be staying in this inn?" The short man looked them over, studying every detail.  
  
"Yes," he finally said. "She is occupying one of my upstairs rooms."  
  
"Thank you sir." Beckoning to Jaylin, he hurried up to where his prize would be waiting. He glided through the corridor, pausing briefly to listen at each door. Nothing, nothing, nothing, ah, here they were. Before knocking he turned to regard his slave.  
  
"Be confident," he reminded her. "Put your hand on your hilt as though you are ready to fight in a moment. Right." He took a deep breath to steady his excitement that he would never show, and rapped on the wooden door.  
  
"Yes?" Came the female voice from within.  
  
"I wish to make a purchase from you," he told her.   
  
"Indeed? Is that all?"  
  
"Yes, that is my intention for now."  
  
"Oh that's reassuring. How do we know your intention for now won't change if we decide to let you in?"  
  
"I suppose saying don't worry would be useless. However, I believe you have a formidable bodyguard with you." Meleyal was in awe. He could talk when he chose to. How did he know all these things? How could he have found out? He was smooth, that was for sure. Very smooth. The door opened and candlelight poured into the darkened hall. Meleyal's hand tightened on her hilt, just in case.   
  
When she saw who stood inside, she almost released her grasp. Again, she was struck by the strangeness of her master. Surely, they had nothing to fear from this girl. She was only a little taller than Meleyal herself. She certainly didn't appear to be as powerful a sorceress as everyone claimed. She was sure that her master could beat her if it came to a fight, but it wouldn't come to that.  
  
So this was Lina Inverse, renowned sorceress supreme? A girl of Meleyal's age, only a girl. She was in the garb of a magic user. Leggings, high boots and tunic as was customary for warriors conspired for her dress. Her sword belt was worn and the gloves she wore proved her indeed both a swordswoman and a sorceress. A black cape shrouded her shoulders to speak of her specialty in black magic. Perhaps, Meleyal should not try to judge her skill just yet. There may be more to this that her master had not shared with her. Why else would he demand that she show her confidence?  
  
That was when the other occupant of the room caught her attention. A giant! As he stepped to close the door behind her she noticed that she only came up to his waist. His sword was probably was big as she was, and he fingered it with familiarity. He sensed her staring at him and their eyes locked for a moment. She hoped she was at least appearing confident. Before he went to Lina's side, she thought he gave her a half smile. How odd. How did her master get in contact with these people? What sort of man was he anyway?   
  
"So," Lina's voice surprisingly changed from defensive and wary to conversational and almost friendly. Meleyal didn't know if that should put her at ease or if she should be suspicious. She decided to relax a bit, but keep her hand resting at her hilt. "What can I do you for?"  
  
"I am a collector of artifacts," he began. Artifacts? Meleyal listened intently, wondering all the while. "I heard that you picked up some items of rare classification in your recent encounter with the Dragon Fangs."  
  
"News travels fast."  
  
"Truly, and I would be willing to pay any price for one item in particular."  
  
"Oh? And what's that?"  
  
"That I won't say." His voice took on an amusing tone, one Meleyal found extremely familiar. "Wouldn't want to be over charged now. Just tell me what you have and what your price is and I'll tell you which item I want."  
  
"Fair deal. Let's see. Artifacts?" He nodded. "I have an old knife and an orihalcon statue. Those are the only items I possess that would be of any interest to you. First, the knife. For that I want twelve million." Meleyal's eyes threatened to jump out of her head. Twelve million? What a ridiculous price! This girl either had no idea of the value of money or she was more than a little eccentric. Even her companion gave a start. Only her master remained cool and emotionless as ever. He never said a word. If Lina was a bit disappointed by his lack of reaction she also was a master of hiding her emotions. "Then there's the orihalcon. Not many of those around. I'll charge you thirty million." Meleyal narrowed her eyebrows. There was something wrong with this girl.   
  
"You realize," his voice was as low and emotionless as ever. "For that price you could buy a castle from a prince on prime real estate fully furnished with the servants included?"  
  
"Now that you mention it," Lina pursed her lips in thought. "The price is kind of ridiculous, especially for a little statue. How about six million?" Still too high, way too high.   
  
"How about," her master drawled slowly in his rich voice. "If I pay you one hundred thousand now and pay the rest later?"  
  
"I don't think so." Of course not. She wouldn't have gone for that. She was as distrustful of strangers as her master himself. Meleyal supposed that anything was worth a try.   
  
"Then I have another idea. Why don't you join forces with us? In a few months we could pay two or maybe three times your asking price." She paused, mocking Master's stance by folding her arms. She even copied his half smile which made Meleyal grip her sword hilt ever tighter.   
  
"Hmm," she considered. "Me joining with thieves."  
  
"I am not a thief. Although I couldn't say the same for you." She pretended not to hear that.   
  
"Sorry. You see, I know your type and I would rather die than join up with the likes of you."  
  
"So you shall," Meleyal cried out drawing her weapon. This child had threatened her master's honor, and she was a defender of his honor. A position she would lose her life trying to uphold. It was only him who kept her from killing, or being killed.  
  
"Stay your hand, child," he commanded raising his arm to keep her back. She halted, pursing her lips in confusion just slightly and lowering her sword even more slightly. "I'm assuming," he went on to Lina. "That an agreement cannot be reached?" Lina shook her head, still standing in her mocking fashion that made Meleyal oddly furious. An emotion she had thought lost. "Then remember this: tomorrow morning, the moment you step outside this inn, we shall be deadly enemies." With the sweep of his arm he signaled his slave out of the room.  
  
"And also remember this," he went on after she was in the hall. That girl would not drop that ridiculous stance. "My name is Zelgadis, and never forget it."  
  
"I'll make a note of it." She boldly stepped forward to grip the doorframe. Flourishing his cape for emphasis, he pivoted out into the hallway. Jaylin materialized out of the shadows to fall into step beside him. He took no notice of her, even though he was a bit surprised that he had not seen her until she had chosen to be seen. Perhaps she remembered more of their lessons than just the sword.   
  
He sensed her motion behind him and ducked out of the way just in time to catch hold of her and twist her to the ground. With a raised eyebrow she looked up to him expectantly. Such a position. She was completely his at that moment, yet she showed no fear. Such was trust, he supposed. She trusted him.  
  
"You heard me?" She asked a bit annoyed and more than a little frustrated.  
  
"Naturally." He gave her his half smile.  
  
"I don't suppose you could tell me exactly what noise it was that you heard that gave me away?"   
  
"Let's see, where to start?" She pushed him off of her with surprising strength and stood to perch on her rock.   
  
"I'm trying to be serious, and all you can do is tease me. I thought you were going to teach me something, not make fun of me."  
  
"Oh, here Jaylin," he knelt at her feet. "I meant no harm. I always tease. You really are doing quite well. Truly, I didn't hear anything."  
  
"Then how did you. .?"  
  
"True stalkers," she sniffed, but only half in teasing. "have a sixth sense." He went on pretending not to hear her. "They sense motion. You just have to be faster than that sense."  
  
"I'm never going to get it am I?"  
  
"Yes, yes you are. You're almost there." She sighed.   
  
"Can we do the sword now?" He rose, raising her spirits instantly with his famous draw and bow.   
  
"As you wish, my lady."  
  
"Finally, something I'm good at."  
  
Unlike Jaylin, Zel was able to call up memories at will, but like Jaylin, they were painful. Not quite as crippling an effect as when she was caught in them, but there was always the sting of regret. A past lost, and look what had been gained.   
  
"Absolutely nothing," he muttered aloud, and received a strange look from his slave. It was times like these he was actually grateful that she was not permitted to speak. There were so many questions he knew she would ask, so many that he was not ready to answer. Zolf stepped beside him, forbidding him to remain in his reverie any longer.   
  
"Did you get it?" He asked anxiously and eagerly.  
  
"No," his voice was cold, even to his ears, but then it was always that way. "She is a shrewd woman. I think she suspects something."  
  
"What will you do now?" He sighed.  
  
"I guess we'll have to do it the hard way."  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
"No, I gave my word. I said I would wait until morning."  
  
"Meaning we could take them by surprise tonight."  
  
"I gave my word."  
  
"But--"  
  
"I gave my word!"  
  
"Curse your word." In a fury of motion Zel had Zolf pressed against a nearby building. He felt nothing as he looked deep into the magician's eyes, knowing that the coldness of his own was making the man doubly uncomfortable.  
  
"My word and honor are all that makes me human. Do not take them away from me."  
  
"Yes, lord. My apologies." The moment lost, Zel released his servant and continued on towards the forest. They could not stay at the inn now that he had made enemies with Lina. Why did she have to be so smart? Why did everything have to be so difficult? But he supposed another night out in the open wouldn't necessarily hurt them. It was warming on to summer and the ground was dry enough. What was one more night?  
  
Sensing the tension between them, Jaylin had stepped forward a few paces to walk next to Zel. Her presence was comforting, as always. He risked sidelong looks at her slight form every now and again, when she wasn't paying attention. Thus they continued until they had found a suitable place to spend the night.   
  
"Zolf," he called him as the tall man was settling himself on the grass. His servant looked up, waiting. "See if you can locate the item. We'll have to follow them in that fashion, as it is the best way to do so without being seen. I suspect Lina will be very difficult to find after this."  
  
"Yes, lord." The man rose again to go off a little ways to concentrate alone. He handed Jaylin a bit of bread. On the morrow he decided that they would go back to Mistwatch as they were running out of provisions and he was getting tired of running all over creation. Besides, he knew Rezo would be there waiting for him and he couldn't put off that meeting forever. He would send some beserkers to test Lina's strength while he regained his own. His slave nibbled the bread thoughtfully as she traced with one elegant finger some sort of design in the dust. He shook his head, knowing what was going to happen, and knowing that he must let it run its course anyway. He turned from her, not wanting to watch.  
  
"What is that supposed to be?" She had crept up behind him and surprised him for the very first time. She remembered that feeling of triumph in watching him drop his charcoal stick and parchment.  
  
"It's supposed to be that tree over there," he responded looking up at her while she looked down at his picture.   
  
"It looks like a broccoli stalk," she concluded at last.  
  
"Well, it's not finished yet." He stared down at the pathetic little tree, obviously ashamed of his work.   
  
"Mind if I try?" Drawing was one thing she could do. She had found that out early, taking sticks and scratching in the dust. He may have been able to beat her in a sword battle, and he may have been able to track her no matter how hard she tried, and he may be able to hide from her when she tried to track him, but the poor thing could not draw. "Just sit there like that, and I'll draw you."  
  
"Like this?"  
  
"Perfect. Now hold still."   
  
"Hold still!" The barking voice of Galwer ordered as she cringed back from him in terror. Why was everything always so dark in this place? She backed away, curling herself into a protective ball as she did so. "If you don't come here right this second I promise to do it longer." That got her moving. One second longer would be more than she could stand. Obediently, if fearfully, she allowed herself to be chained in a spread eagle fashion facing a wall. And this is only the beginning she told herself. Only the beginning. Pain flared and she screamed.  
  
There she went again. Zel flinched to hear her painful cries. She had to stop doing this or she would do herself permanent damage. Or perhaps, he thought as a particularly sharp scream cut through him, the damage has already been done and cannot be repaired. He glided over to her quickly and tried to straighten her tightened limbs. What had they done to her that the memories would be enough to bring actual physical pain? As always the relaxing of her muscles was rapid and sudden. Yet she didn't come out of it right away. She lay limp in his arms and it took him a moment to notice she was crying. She was crying tears of blood.   
  
"Oh Jaylin," he sighed as he listened to her breathing. There had to be an end to this. There had to be. As gently as he could he wiped the blood off her petite face. Idly, he wondered if she had suffered from memories so in Mestronia. If she had, what had they done to stop it? If not, was it all his fault? Surely there was more to this than what he was thinking. Just memories did not cause this kind of pain. Thinking furiously, he laid her down on the grass to sleep. At least she could do that. At least her dreams were not haunted. But why? He left her there, secure in the knowledge that she would be safe from any outward harm, to find Zolf.  
  
It took him only a short time to find the wizard sitting cross legged at the base of a tree. Zolf's eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and deep revealing just how deep of concentration he was in. Zelgadis settled against a tree opposite to wait for him to come out of it. To wake him now would prove fatal. Anytime anyone was at a concentration level such as this it was always deadly to rip them from that. They must come back to reality on their own and at their own pace. That was fine. Zelgadis had all night to wait. He had a puzzle to solve.   
  
Jaylin's attacks were indeed puzzling. They only occurred when she attempted to remember her past life. That was brought on by his questions and his voice he knew, but he had to talk to her sometimes. Was there no other way to stop them? Perhaps if he simply told her who she was? That would cause her to recall everything. Considering the physical trauma she went through with just one memory at a time, he thought that all of them together would kill her. Besides, he wasn't ready to deal with her reaction to him as he was now just yet. Or maybe never. She might not even believe him if he did tell her. He had to find another way. What if he wrapped her in a Healing shroud, would that make it any easier? He decided against doing anything for the time being. It wasn't fool proof and he could just as easily damage her mind completely than help her. She would just have to hang on until he came up with a solution.   
  
Zolf gave a shuddering sigh that brought Zelgadis' brooding to an end. He slipped next to his servant and waited for him to notice he was there and speak.   
  
"It is not there," Zolf began and struggled against yawning. In the end, it overtook him. "I cannot find it." Zel put a hand on the wizard's shoulder to remind him to keep awake if only until the interrogation was finished.  
  
"What do you mean, you can't find it?"  
  
"It's just not there, that's all."  
  
"She had it with her only a short while ago. She couldn't possibly have lost it."  
  
"I have no explanations." He stifled another yawn.  
  
"It doesn't matter. We'll retrieve it. On the morrow we travel to Mistwatch."  
  
"Very good, lord. How will we find her again?"  
  
"She's still going to Atlas City. From here, that's still eight or nine days away. We'll have plenty of time."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"Never mind about that now. I'll explain all at Mistwatch. Sleep now." Not needing to be told twice, Zolf thankfully curled up in his cape right against the tree, not even bothering to come back to the campsite where Jaylin waited. Zelgadis left him, knowing that he would be safe until morning.   
  
His slave might have been asleep, but he couldn't be sure. No, he knew as he came closer. She had come awake. He had hoped she would still be sleeping. As he drew very near, she propped herself up on her elbows to regard him. He sat down across from her. Motioning with his hand as he did so for her to lie back down. She might have followed his hand down to the grass, but her eyes stayed on him. It made him uneasy, her staring at him like that. Remaining silent, he gave her another signal that was meant for her to close her eyes. She did, for a moment, then they were open again and fixed on him. This was her wretched curious nature coming through.  
  
"What," his voice was sharp, although he had not intended it to be. "Do you want?" It was a direct question, and then maybe she would stop that uncomfortable stare. She cringed a little, but her voice was strong. That was the only control she had over herself. Her voice always remained steady, no matter how wild her emotions raged.  
  
"I want for you to be happy," she did not hesitate in the answer. He sighed. Of course that's what she wanted. She was his slave. His happiness was above her life even. Was he happy? No, oddly he wasn't. He should have been. His best friend was at his side, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't the same. He only had part of her back. The other part was locked deep beyond years of torture and training. And what would it take to break that lock?  
  
"I am," he lied easily enough since his voice also never changed with his emotions and gave her a half smile. She copied that smile and shook her head slightly. Or rather, what she was doing was contradicting him. Slaves weren't supposed to do that, ever. Whatever the master says was law, no matter how ridiculous. Yet she had told him that she knew he wasn't telling her the truth. She questioned what he had said.   
  
"I am as happy as can be expected given the circumstances," he reformed his statement. There had been a bond of complete trust between them once and even now he felt that there should never be anything but the truth between them. Yet there were parts of the truth he was going to keep hidden, for now at least. He promised that he would only wait until she was ready to hear it, not until he was ready to tell it. Who knew, that might make it easier on both of them.   
  
"Do you know what would make me happy?" He questioned her in his frosty voice. She shook her head. "If you would close your eyes and get some sleep. We're going to Mistwatch in the morning." He looked at those eyes then, the ones she was supposed to close yet still remained open as though she knew he wanted to look at them. As he looked he knew what was in her head, what she was thinking, through her eyes.   
  
"Do you know what would make me happy?" The dancing stars fixed in the cobalt asked. He sent what he thought would turn out to be the word, what, into his cold gaze. "If you would close your eyes and sleep too." He shook his head and rose to make a round of the camp, hearing her sigh as he left her behind. That was the one thing he could not do for her. It chilled him to even think about what would be waiting for him in his dreams. Then it chilled him even more when he looked down at his gloved hands and knew that even if he did make it through the dream he would just wake up to a nightmare.   
  
  



	5. Return to Rezo

Chapter 5: Return to Rezo  
  
"There!" Zolf pointed triumphantly at one tower peeking out from above the trees. Zelgadis blinked at the bright sun as he too looked up to see what had been their destination all morning. Sighing tiredly, he motioned the other two onward. He was not looking forward to this at all. Rezo would not be pleased with him. Although they could see Mistwatch, it still took considerable time to actually climb the steep hill overwhich it was built.   
  
It wasn't much of a castle. More of an abandoned fortress really. It was rundown and looked as though it would collapse if the wind blew hard enough. But it was in the middle of a forest, and not many people traveled into the middle of forests anymore. Even if they had, they would have passed it by because it had the feel of magic around it. Such magic, that if a person had an ounce of sense they would wisely pretend they had never seen the place and promptly forget about it once they had left it behind. Rezo would be waiting inside for Zelgadis' report on his success, or failure as the case may be.  
  
The temperature cooled immediately when the trio stepped into the shadows of the place. Like all fortresses, it did not have many windows in the lower chambers, and the ones in the higher were small and few. Therefore, the afternoon sun did not penetrate except for slivers of light that revealed bits and pieces of the place in spotlights glittering with dust particles.  
  
"I have been waiting for you," came a cold and oddly sarcastic voice as the door closed behind them. Zolf stepped away from his lord in fear, admiring his bravery as he did so. As the tall mage entered one of the regions of light that caused his red robes to shine, Meleyal shuddered but stubbornly stayed near her master. Even though his eyes were closed, she still felt as though he were staring at her. The man held out one hand, palm up, patiently waiting. Zelgadis did not move.  
  
"You failed," the huge man stated matter of factly as he clenched the hand into a fist.  
  
"Not yet," Zelgadis told him smoothly.  
  
"I did not think you, a powerful chimera," the words stung, "would not be able to perform a simple task like this."  
  
"Simple is not the word I would use to describe Lina Inverse," the chimera replied, still smoothly since he was trying to hold onto his rage.  
  
"I have brought someone who will help you," Rezo ignored his words, as always. A werewolf came also into the light. A twisted deformed werewolf. He had the head of the supposed creature he was, but the body and arms of a troll and the hind legs of the wolf. Instead of a deep gray, his fur was a sickly green. The sight of him turned Zelgadis' stomach as the creature rose from all fours. Slightly behind him and to his right, he heard Jaylin swallow, hard.  
  
"I do not need help," he told Rezo, still transfixed to the hideous thing before him, watching as its tongue lolled out to one side in mocking laughter.  
  
"Allow me to disagree."  
  
"I have a plan. I will retrieve it from her."  
  
"Of that I have no doubt, but will you be willing to give it to me?" The chimera's hand clenched involuntarily. Why did he have to be so smart? "Dilgear will remain with you as my eyes and ears for the time being."  
  
"Fine," the words came from through grinding teeth. Rezo smiled frostily.  
  
"I will be waiting," he said as he walked past them. Then he stopped, sensing someone that was usually not in his company. Turning, he reached out a hand to touch Meleyal's face, making her skin crawl. Unconsciously, she cringed under his fingers as he traced her features.   
  
"This was your choice?" he said slowly, his hand still on the girl. "She is distracting you?"  
  
"No," he stated firmly, ready to draw his sword, even though it would do no good. His fingers moved to her hair and she jerked back with a slight hiss. Rezo smiled again, taking back his hand only to reach for her left one. He nodded to himself as he examined both her wrists.  
  
"I think," he said slowly as Jaylin ripped her hands out of his grasp. "That she should come with me."  
  
"No," Zel said in a flat voice. "You said that you had no use for her."  
  
"I may have been mistaken."  
  
"She belongs to me."  
  
"In truth, my friend, she belongs to me. I was the one who came to Berihn's aid and it was he who gave her to me."  
  
"She's staying at my side. You have no use for her."  
  
"Fool! What could you possibly want with her?"  
  
"Just what you suggested when you delegated the choice to me." Rezo was furious now. Furious and becoming very cautious. He knew that Zelgadis was most certainly not using the girl for lovemaking. That was not the way he worked. But why was he becoming so passionate about keeping the thing? She was worthless, that much was obvious from the feel of her garments, so there were really two questions that must be asked. Why had he chosen her if she was worthless and why was he so unwilling to part with her? There was only one answer. Zelgadis was not stupid, far from it actually. He possessed as much sly and cunning as Rezo himself. Surely, he had noticed what Rezo knew. How could he possibly not know what this girl was? That was the only explanation. Zelgadis understood the workings of an E'raan and was probably planning on using her to get his revenge. Such a thing was dangerous. He would have to get the slave from his servant somehow. However, it was obvious that this was not the time for it. Although Rezo knew that Dilgear would come to his aid, he was not prepared for a fight just then. He would have to back down. When the time was right. He would just have to wait until the time was right. Besides, the girl's loyalties were firmly pledged to Zelgadis now. She had already shown what she thought of him. No matter what Berihn said about his slaves, Rezo was sure that she would run off the first chance she had. Taking a deep breath, he regained his calm.  
  
"You made a fine choice," the compliment sounded mocking coming from him. "Take care that you watch her." Before Zel could decide if those words were a warning the priest was gone. Departed for some secret task of his own. Jaylin sighed audibly in relief and he relaxed, if only a little. He could feel the werewolf's yellow slitted eyes on his back, and he tried to ignore it. From where a corridor entered into the main room before the door, Zolf beckoned him. Jerking his head for Jaylin to follow they left Dilgear alone.  
  
"Rodimus is waiting for you in your chamber," Zolf informed them.   
  
"Good," Zel was grateful that the old warrior was still there. He could be trusted, although he had certainly arrived at Mistwatch with Rezo. Perhaps he could tell them something they could use. Zolf gave Jaylin a glance.  
  
"He wishes to speak with you, alone," he went on in low tones. Zel nodded and hurried to the room quickly locking the door behind him. Startled by the sound, Rodimus leaped from his perch on the wooden bench that served as a bed. Seeing Zel, he relaxed and almost smiled. The two clasped hands then exchanged a quick embrace of friendship before settling down to speak.  
  
"I'm glad you're finally here," Rodimus confided to him in a deep, gruff voice. "It's been absolutely maddening with no one around but that insane excuse of a priest and that. . .that thing."  
  
"I can imagine," Zel sympathized.   
  
"I was beginning to think you had failed."  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"So you know where it is?"  
  
"Yes, but we'll talk about that in a moment with the others."  
  
"Others?"  
  
"Zolf and my slave."  
  
"Yes, Zolf did mention you were keeping new company these days. He said that she was a gift from Rezo. In fact, that was what I wanted to question you privately about. Can she be trusted?"  
  
"Of course, she's Mestronian." Zel allowed a mischievous grin to settle over his stone features. "Pretty little thing with silver blue hair and cobalt eyes that shine with the stars of heaven." Rodimus' broad shouldered frame leaped up.  
  
"Jaylin?" He asked breathlessly. Zel nodded. "You found her. Where is she?"  
  
"With Zolf, of course."  
  
"Send for them. I long to see her."  
  
"Not so fast. There is something I have to tell you first. She does not know who I am."  
  
"How is that possible? You are her best friend. There wasn't a day that passed that she didn't go out to see you or talk about you all night afterwards. Perhaps it is not really her?"  
  
"No, it is her as surely as it is I who stands before you. There is no mistake in my identification, but in her memory. You understand the workings of Mestronia. You know very well what is done there to insure obedience."  
  
"But, you haven't told her?"  
  
"No, to do so would rip her to shreds mentally. No matter how tempted you are you must remain silent about who we were in her life. She is Meleyal now and if it is destined she will remember then so be it."  
  
"Perhaps she will recognize me since I. . ." he trailed off. Zel looked down knowing what he had been about to say. Since I have not been transformed. Well, who knew, she might recognize Rodimus where she had not Zel. It was very probable. The old warrior was her own father after all.  
  
"In any case," Zel said. "We have another problem to worry about right now."  
  
"True spoken." He opened the door to retrieve Zolf and Zel's slave. They were right outside, wanting to be as close to Zel as possible and also as far away from Dilgear as possible.  
  
Zolf immediately leaned against the wall, out of the way, waiting for instructions. Rodimus and Zel perched themselves on the wooden bench that served as a bed, and Jaylin knelt on the floor at her master's feet. Rodimus gave her a longing look, but held his tongue.  
  
"So, where is the item?" Rodimus finally asked breaking his gaze from his daughter.  
  
"In the hands of Lina Inverse." Rodimus whistled under his breath.  
  
"You have a plan?"  
  
"She will be staying in Preleyn tonight, I'm sure. I want you to take whatever forces you like and overtake her once it gets dark. Use any means necessary to retrieve the item."  
  
"Should it fail?"  
  
"Then I'll go after her myself, on the road tomorrow. Zolf will remain here, but you, Meleyal," his teeth clenched as he spoke the name, "and Dilgear will come with me."  
  
"Dilgear? You want to take that monster?"  
  
"He's expendable. Hopefully, it will not come to that. Go now so you may reach the town by nightfall. Luck go with you." The stocky man rose and took up his battle axe. With a flare of his dark cape he departed.  
  
"Now, Zolf," Zel turned to his magician. "What are we going to do about that werewolf?" He shrugged. "I'd destroy it, but I'm sure Rezo would find out."  
  
"It doesn't look very smart."  
  
"It doesn't have to be." Jaylin shuddered, remembering its glowing yellow eyes in the shadows. He looked down at her hunched form on the floor. "As for you." She lifted her head to give him her full attention. "You stay away from it." Not a problem, certainly. She was already terrified of the thing, and rightly so.   
  
"We're all going to try to stay away from it," Zolf stated matter of factly, his eyes looking at the wall and beyond. "So," he came back to them. "What are we going to do now?"  
  
"All we can do is wait for Rodimus to return."  
  
"What if he doesn't?"  
  
"He will."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Because I am." No, he wasn't, but he also wasn't willing to admit what might happen to his old friend.   
  
"Whatever you say. Well, as much as I looked forward to getting here right now I would much rather be outside. So, if you will excuse me." He stood and left the room. Zel knew exactly what he meant. He did not really want to stay inside with Dilgear either. The creature unnerved him. He looked out the one window in his chamber and wondered if he dared try to sleep. He felt very old at that moment.  
  
Meleyal would have liked to go with Zolf out of the building, but she was bound by slave honor to remain with her master unless he gave her leave to go. She didn't really mind staying with him, but being close to that werewolf scared her. Probably because he was so much bigger than she was, and that he was so deformed. But he couldn't get near her in this room, with her master so close. He would protect her. His soft sigh called her attention from her careful tracing of the cracks in the floor. She looked up to see him hunched over with his elbows on his thighs, rubbing his hands over his face. The pressure was so great she heard scraping that usually accompanies a stone striking a flint. After a moment of this action, he clasped his hands out in front of him, elbows still resting on his thighs. He drew deep breaths with his eyes closed. Bravely, she lifted her hand and carefully placed it on the cold stone of where his joined themselves together. His eyes snapped open and she jerked back.  
  
That was a very interesting trick she had, Zel thought as he studied her. That peculiar talent of being able to communicate with him by using eyes alone, thus keeping her safe from asking a question aloud. He wondered if anyone could see what he himself thought was so plain to read, or if it was his ability alone.  
  
"I'm fine," he answered the question she had all but asked him out loud. She nodded, but he knew that she didn't believe him. He turned his head to look at the light filtering in from the one window. "There's still some daylight left. Come." He fingered his hilt as he led her down the spiraling steps. As they left Mistwatch, Zel felt and heard Dilgear following after, not even trying to mask his presence. He forced himself not to look over his shoulder. He caught Jaylin's eyes drifting behind her without really turning her head. She knew he was there too. He walked for a little ways before stopping in a suitable place. Jaylin nervously waited for what was going to happen. Giving her a confident cocked smile, he drew his sword. He had come out here for a lesson, and that was what he was going to do. She fixed her gaze on him while doing likewise.  
  
"Don't you know, he's right there in the trees, watching us?" Her eyes asked.   
  
"Of course. Don't worry. He will not do anything but watch," he hoped he sent the message back correctly. Apparently so for she shrugged and shifted into a fighting stance. In the following displays of their swordsmanship, Dilgear was all but forgotten.  
  
She was still quick, and her slight frame helped in that aspect, but he could tell she wasn't concentrating. He knew she was trying to remember why this was so familiar to her, but he would not have her going into a fit of memory while the monster was there. It would show she was weaker than she seemed and that might be deadly. To stop her from thinking, he ignored his own exhaustion and pressed at her so hard she couldn't do anything but defend and it took all she had just to do that.  
  
"Enough," he finally commanded when he noticed the last sliver of sun fading behind the trees. Sweat shone on her skin, making her hair dark, and her breaths came in pants. He himself was barely winded, but that came with the demon third of him. She was only a human, and she had done remarkably well in combat with him. Not only that, but he had shone Dilgear that they were not to be reckoned with when it came to a sword.  
  
"That's enough for today. Let's go back." That was when he caught sight of Dilgear. It was only the briefest flash of that sickening green fur and a glint of eye, but it was him sure enough. He didn't like being followed and watched, and he had had enough. It was time to settle the question of authority, here and now. He would not stand to be argued with during the many decisions that would come with this operation. He sent a challenge via his eyes to the beast in the shadows. The yellow slitted eyes fixed on him and the tongue flashed out, showing pointed fangs.   
  
"You go on ahead, child," he told her as he stared back at Dilgear. "I'll be along directly. Have a cup of something hot ready for me when I return." She gave an uneasy glance to the quasi wolf and scampered away.   
  
"I don't appreciate you skulking around following me," he said sharply, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"It was a command," he said in a voice that came as a growl.  
  
"From here on I command you to stop it."  
  
"I don't follow you."  
  
"Now you do. I stand in Rezo's stead."  
  
"You and I are equal." Zel gathered his power and flung a gust of wind at the mass of teeth and fur in front of him. Hitting him unexpected, he was thrown against a tree with the force. Using his powerful hind legs, Dilgear launched himself at the chimera, who very neatly crouched and rolled out of the way. Pride hurt, the monster rose up to stand like a man. Zel was suddenly thankful that Dilgear had left his sword at Mistwatch. Up on hind legs like that he was at least two feet taller than he. Zel collected a spell that glowed menacingly in his cupped hands.   
  
"Come on," he challenged, brandishing his power. With a snarl, Dilgear tried one last lunge. Effortlessly, Zel released and there was a great explosion.  
  
Meleyal started at the noise and spilled scalding water on herself as she did so. Gasping, she almost dropped the kettle and only just managed to set it down before she rushed to the window to see what was going on. All she saw was a quick flash of brilliant blue light.  
  
"Zolf!" She cried. The man had not moved during the entire thing. The explosion might not have been enough to rouse him, but her shout did. He had been curled up in a corner, mending his cloak by candlelight. At her cry, he pricked himself with the needle, closed his eyes as though drawing his patience, then dropped his hands.  
  
"What is it, girl?" He asked in an exasperated tone.   
  
"You must have heard that!" Although she dared not speak to her master without him asking her a question, she could speak with Zolf as an equal simply because her ownership was not his.   
  
"Of course."  
  
"Do you think my master is all right?"  
  
"He can handle himself. You'd best be more worried about that water than him."  
  
"I guess so, but. ."  
  
"He'll be here soon. My guess would be that was his spell, not Dilgear's."   
  
"I. ."  
  
"Just never mind." Shaking her hand to cool the burned skin, she adjusted the kettle so it would stay warm, but would not boil. Then she rummaged for a cup and tea leaves that she knew were in her master's chamber somewhere.  
  
A few moments later, just as Zolf had predicted, the main door creaked shut and a light foottread sounded on the stairs. Meleyal paused in her work to listen just enough to recognize her master's step. Then she continued on the tea that he had asked for. He entered and seemed to bring with him all the coldness of a mid winter night. Meleyal was immediately concerned, but she was forced to stay still by Zolf's question.  
  
"Taken care of?" He asked in a casual tone as he picked up his mending. Zel nodded and took a few shaky steps before collapsing on the wooden bench, not even bothering to banish his cape from his shoulders. Timidly, and rather curiously, Jaylin approached him with a teacup in her shaking right hand.  
  
He took it with a muttered thanks. As he took a quick sip his other arm flashed out to beckon her back to him.   
  
"What happened to your hand?" She looked down, trying to hide it with the other.  
  
"Nothing master." He reached out for it anyway. Taking another sip of the ginger tea, he carefully examined it, though he knew she saw no need.  
  
"The little demon scalded herself while making your tea," Zolf piped up, his eyes still fixed on his cape and an odd smile on his face. She gave him a glare when she thought Zel wasn't looking.   
  
"How did you do that?" He pressed as he massaged the hand, preparing for a quick healing spell.  
  
"I heard an explosion, master. It startled me is all. Really it's nothing."  
  
"No matter." He sent the first few tendrils of the spell into her. Then he waited for the initial reaction to pass before he released the full spell. People usually shuddered when they felt the magic's cold rush through them, but she acted as though he hadn't done anything. Puzzled he let go his hold of the spell, allowing it to run its course.   
  
"That is very strange," he mused to himself out loud. The spell had no effect. The skin was still burned. It had not worked. He realized that Jaylin was staring at him questioningly. Shaking his head, he released her. It was definitely an odd occurrence, but he was exhausted and he had just spent a good deal of energy on Dilgear. He decided to let the matter go.  
  
"I suggest," he said rising to place his teacup away from what would become his bed. "That we all get some rest. We may have a battle in the morning should Rodimus. . should Rodimus fail." Zolf nodded solemnly and left Zel's chamber without a word and Jaylin began to do likewise.  
  
"Child," he called after her so she would turn around. "Will you be all right?"  
  
"Of course, master." He nodded her dismissal and leaned back on the hard wooden bench wondering if he himself would be all right. His body told him to sleep, but his mind was terrified of the idea. In the end, even on the rather uncomfortable wood, his body won.  
  
"Do you wish to be strong, Zelgadis?" The voice was only in his head, speaking in his mind, the words sliding across his consciousness like oil. The lips to which the voice belonged remained closed as did the eyes of the man who stood a few yards away from him. All around blew a hazy darkness. The reasoning part of him told him to flee, but something else wanted to be strong. He had to be stronger than someone, because. . .well, he didn't know exactly the reason only that it was important.  
  
The being clothed in scarlet robes floated towards him. He was held transfixed to the spot, his sword in hand. The smile on that man's face was both frightening and comforting as he came close. Pieces of his robe, like tendrils of smoke, came forth timidly, embracing him in their crimson grasp. His blue eyes searched the closed one's of the silent man in front of him. Electrical current flowed into him. He gasped and dropped his blade. Everything in his body was being rearranged and twisted into something evil and corrupt. His windpipe closed off his scream and his body twisted in agony. In a moment, incredible pain flared from his thigh, ripping his world apart.  
  
He sat up, shaking terribly, sweating, and panting for breath. As he had done countless times before he gazed at his gloved hands as he waited for the horror to fade into the comforting darkness of the cool night. He noticed that the touch on his thigh had not gone with the nightmare. Trying in vain to get himself under control, he let his eyes shift from his hands to the floor where Jaylin crouched, her eyes wide in fear and concern. So terrified was she that she spoke out of turn.  
  
"I heard your cries and I thought something was wrong," she stammered. "Light, master, what happened?"  
  
"It. . . .it was nothing," he said as he closed his eyes and swallowed, savoring the feeling of her gentle touch. "A dream, that's all." He sensed a slight shifting of her fingers and knew that she had just realized what she had done. With his demon speed, he grasped her hand in his stone fist to keep it where it had been.  
  
"Do you love me?" He asked her, staring at her intently and holding tight to her hand. She stiffened, wanting to tell him what he wanted to hear and not wanting to lie to him.  
  
"Master. . .I. . ." she stammered wondering how to shape her words. What he had thought could happen crashed into dust in his heart.  
  
"The truth," he told her. "I want you to speak the truth. There will be no consequence."  
  
"I care for you, certainly master. I. . I would do anything for you."  
  
"But do you love me?" She looked up from where he held her captive to his eyes.  
  
"No, master. I cannot." He sighed. A deep sigh of regret that exhausted his whole being. Of course she could not love him. She did not even know his name! It had been a dumb question.  
  
"Master?" She was getting brave. For the second time she spoke without permission and twice she had touched him. He then noticed as she placed her hands on his shoulders that she had risen from the floor to sit on the bench behind him and that he had been rocking back and forth with his head on his hands. "Are you ill?"  
  
"Yes, child. I fear I am." So this is what it meant to be heartsick. Interesting feeling. A heart of stone gripped in an icy iron clench. I will not weep, he commanded himself. Not in front of her. I will not weep.  
  
"You are," she said, her hands still on his shoulders. "very dear to me, master. My life is yours. You are my master." Her master. Her owner. She was his slave. He didn't want a slave. He wanted a friend. He sighed again. Slowly and gently, Jaylin pulled him down to lie in her lap. He had done it before; he knew. Sleep came immediately to him. Perhaps, now that she was there, humming the song, it would not be so bad. One last sigh and he allowed sleep to overtake him.  
  
Meleyal felt torn. She'd hurt him. Oh, how she'd hurt him by saying that she did not love him. He must have been ill to ask such a thing. She pitied him. But what else could she say when he had asked for the truth? She did not even know his name. To her, in her mind, he was called by the simple name Master, or sometimes Ivory, or on very rare occasions he was Chimera. She was chilled by that last one. Yet she was there, humming to him and holding him because he needed her. There had been someone else who had needed her before. A memory was bubbling, waiting to be recalled completely. Only she must be very careful not to let it take control.  
  
"Zel?" Her sword's name was Zel so she usually let that take the place of the name that should have passed through her memory's lips. "Where are you?" Her hands cupped around her mouth to magnify her call. "Answer me!" Yet there was no answer. "This is a cruel trick," she muttered to herself turning about expecting him to jump out at her as some kind of new lesson of stealth. Tensing, she waited, but he never came. He was not hiding and he was not there. She bit her lip, suddenly worried. Had he been attacked by wild animals? That one quickly left her as utterly ridiculous. Perhaps, he had simply left the valley. He came from a long line of people who couldn't seem to stay in one place for too long. Surely, he wouldn't have gone anywhere without her. Would he?   
  
She was running and she hadn't even realized it. Heading for his makeshift house deep in the forest. She had only been there once and she prayed that she knew where she was going. Maybe her mind did not remember, but her body responded automatically and in relief she spotted the place where he lived.  
  
"Zel!" She screamed, growing panicked. Where was he? "Please, be here." She was astonished to find how much she needed him. She had taken him for granted. Now, he had left her behind. That thought burned. Had she meant nothing to him? Wait. Every thought of abandonment disappeared as she spotted him. It looked as though he had tried to get up and collapsed before getting a step.   
  
"What happened?" She questioned him as she came near. Of course, he was not conscious, but she asked anyway. He was shivering with cold, yet when she helped him to his pallet of straw, she felt the heat that radiated from his body. It wasn't a life threatening fever, but it was the oddness of it that frightened her. Zel never got sick. It just didn't happen. As she settled him comfortably on the straw and curled up close to him to keep him warm, his eyelids fluttered open.  
  
"You came," he whispered in relief.  
  
"Of course I came."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"You don't have to be. Light, Zel, I don't expect you to come to me when you can't even get out of bed. How cold-hearted do you think me to be?"  
  
"I tried."  
  
"Yes, I know. Don't worry about it." He drew his knees up to his chest.  
  
"I'm so cold."   
  
"You'll be all right." She stroked his smooth cheek with her fingers as he closed his eyes again. An icy blast of wind took her hair and whipped it across her face. He shouldn't have to stay out here like this. She wondered how he lived through the winter in that crude shelter. It just didn't seem right. She decided that this winter he would live with her family. At least, that's what she had wanted him to do. Then she remembered with another cold trickling of wind that it was almost autumn. Her fifteenth autumn. She would not be here for another winter.   
  
Meleyal was chilled at the remembered pain of that memory. That she had to leave the boy whom she loved so well. It did not seem fair. Idly, as she unconsciously stroked her master's coarse hair, she wondered where he was and if he remembered her. It had only been, how long had it been? There was so much she didn't know. So much she couldn't recall. The last thing she had lost had been her name. She thought that if she could remember that, everything else would magically fall into place. Then she could solve the mystery of the boy. She was certain now that he was real, but who was he? Names, that's what she was after now. Not just memories, but names.   
  
"How are you called?" No one in Mestronia asked for a name because all names had been changed as part of an extensive rebuilding of character. The trick to Mestronia was just to break the old girl down and reconstruct her in the fashion Berihn wished. That was why girls were asked what they were called instead of what their name was.  
  
"I do not know," she told the strange man who stood in front of her. She honestly had racked her brain for the answer to the question but it would not come. Tear filled, her eyes lifted up in her last effort of being brave to stare the man in the face. He was new. She had never seen him before. At least, she thought she had never seen him before. She wouldn't have answered, but fear drove her to. The reason he was here was to inflict pain on her in some new way. Her muscles tensed and the chains dug into her wrists so hard she felt her blood trickling down her arms.   
  
No, stop it Meleyal, she told herself. You cannot do this now. He will not be there to pull you away. Taking deep breaths and concentrating hard on the rhythmic pattern of her fingers stroking her master's hair, she was able to banish the dark walls of her cell. Closing her eyes in triumph, she allowed herself to relax against the back of the bench. When she was comfortable, she fell asleep to the motions of her fingers.   
  
Her master's sudden start and the slam woke her up. Instinctively, she reached for her hilt only to find that she had left it in her other room. Ivory was by the closed door, his knees bent in a fighting crouch.  
  
"What is it?" She asked coming to his side.   
  
"Silence, child," he hissed through his teeth. "You forget yourself." Immediately ashamed, she lowered her eyes. Whatever level of trust they had attained last night, their positions now were as they should be between a master and his slave. A growl caused the hair on her neck to stand on end. Ivory launched himself out the door and down the stairs, leaving her alone. In another second she had her own sword from her room and was following after.  
  
When Zel reached the bottom of the stairs, he could not see what was happening as the sun had not yet risen enough for light to be visible in the main entry hall. He could, however, hear Dilgear's snarls and the wrestling of two bodies. Releasing a light spell into the air, he drew his sword, ready for a fight. As soon as everything was revealed to him, he stood still.  
  
"Dilgear!" He shouted. "Back away!" The mis-shapen creature gave him a narrow eyed glare, but when Zel began gathering power in his hand, he slunk back into the shadows with a slight whimper of remembered pain. Zel ran to help Rodimus to his feet, brushing him off as he did so. The old man spat blood onto the ground, muttering curses under his breath at Dilgear.  
  
Jaylin appeared then, her sword drawn and ready. Her eyes registering confusion, she gazed about her. Dilgear growled at her, but shrunk back at a snap from Zel. Shaking her head and sheathing her sword, she ran up to Rodimus' side. Together Zel and Jaylin helped him up the stairs and away from the quasi werewolf.  
  
"Wretched beast!" Were Rodimus' first words as they sat him down on Zel's wooden bench. Zolf was there then, finally awakened from his deep sleep. He closed the door behind him and leaned up against it. Automatically, in old habit, Jaylin sat down between Zel and Rodimus, her hand resting on her father's boot and her face turned up towards him.   
  
"What happened?" Zel demanded seeing that his friend had not suffered any serious harm. "You were successful?"   
  
"No," Rodimus' voice sounded ashamed. "I'm not even sure what she did. I went into the inn with two trolls after dusk. She was there waiting for us. I was about to fight her when this boy with a sword intercepted me."  
  
"Sorry about that. I failed to mention her bodyguard."  
  
"He was skilled in swordcraft but I could have bested him I'm sure."  
  
"Except?" Zel prodded wanting to get to the point.  
  
"Except she cast a spell on me that I'm still not clear on. It must have been a mind control. Before I knew it both I and the trolls were back here and it was almost dawn. I was unable to retrieve the item."  
  
"That is all right. I have an alternative plan. My real hope last night was only that you tire her and keep her on edge while still managing to stay alive. You did well. I am now rested and capable of besting her in a fight. You are doubtless tired--"  
  
"No, I feel as though I have had a full nights rest. I am ready to fight beside you."  
  
"Well and good then. Zolf will remain here as I have already said. Are you ready Rodimus?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Then let's collect that miserable ball of fur and get going. We can overtake her by midday." Truly, they were faster than that. Taking advantage of Dilgear's incredible sense of smell, they were able to determine that they were ahead of her. Since she was not stupid she would surely come down this road, it being the fastest route to her destination. All they had to do was wait. Dilgear and Rodimus concealed themselves within the trees on one side of the path while Zel and Jaylin occupied the other.  
  
"Now, child," Zel said in a low voice as they crouched together behind the concealment of a fallen tree. "You are not to fight Lina, ever. Stay away from her even if I follow after her. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, master."  
  
"Good. Your only purpose here is to help Rodimus and Dilgear against Lina's bodyguard, and only if they need you. Otherwise, you stay here." She nodded indicating she understood. His head jerked upward as a minute sound reached his pointed ears. Biting her lip, she strained for any noise. However, his demon sensitivity allowed him to pick up things that were beyond her.  
  
"They're coming," he warned her. "Be ready." Fingering his hilt as all warriors do when they are about to go into battle, he stared down the path. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to attack. He was willing to give her one last chance, but after that she was at his mercy. That's when Meleyal finally heard Lina's shouting. So loud was it that she marveled that she had not heard it before.   
  
"How does a guy with the brains of a jellyfish know all about that time of the month?" Her brow furrowed. What were they talking about? Zel's muscles tensed as he crouched in preparation.  
  
"Well," came a deep male voice. "I may not know everything, but I know some stuff."  
  
"Well when I have a minute you can tell me everything you know, but right now tell me how you know about this."  
  
"I don't know what you're getting all excited about. When I was a kid there was a woman nearby who'd tell fortunes. On some days of the month she'd have to close her shop. When I asked her why she did it she told me it's that time of the month. What, does that time of the month mean something special?" What were they talking about?  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Zel stepped on top of the tree trunk, legs apart and knees slightly bent. Lina may not have noticed, but her bodyguard did. He stopped walking and tensed automatically.  
  
"I think we'd better have this discussion later Lina," he said dropping down to a crouch. "Looks like it's time for us to get serious now."  
  
"Gourry," Lina gasped/whispered in semi-surprise as she saw Zel standing on the tree trunk. "It's him." Gourry, however, did not seem as surprised. Instead, he called out.  
  
"So you finally had enough guts to show up in person," he accused. Meleyal cringed behind the tree trunk just enough so that she could still see what was going on without being seen. For a moment, she was afraid of him.   
  
"I've come to get the item I've already discussed with you." His voice was so cold, so emotionless. "Give it to me and I'll do you no harm, but if not I will take it by force. Either way it will be mine so the choice is yours." Lina's face twisted into what looked like hate, not fear.   
  
"I'd think before I'd answer if I were you," came Dilgear's growling voice. He was up on his hind legs, leaning insolently on a tree. After he had Lina's attention he walked arrogantly to stand by Zel's side. Lina folded her arms and gave him a stare.  
  
"Well," she said in an insulting tone. "I'd say you're half wolf half troll. The worst of both worlds and I'm not even going to ask about that ridiculous armor." Dilgear gave his shabby tunic and worn sword belt a self conscious glance.   
  
"Fine talk for someone who is going to die." His mis-shapen troll hand gripped his sword. "Let's see what you're made of."  
  
"All right," she purred, smiling with confidence. "You'll see what I'm made of, but it's the last thing you're ever going to see. The last thing either of you ever see." Meleyal tensed in preparation. This was going to get bloody. Lina raised her hand in obvious magical gesture.  
  
"Go," she drew out the word as Meleyal's muscles clenched ever tighter. "Get them Gourry!" The blonde looked up at her in confusion.  
  
"Me go get them?" He asked innocently. She looked down, her hand still outstretched, in disappointment.  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"But now there's two of them." He spoke as if he could best her master. What a funny man to think such a foolish thing.  
  
"Guess again," that was from Rodimus, brandishing his axe and appearing from behind a tree.   
  
"The guy from last night!" Lina recognized him and cowered behind Gourry. "We don't have to fight you again, give somebody else a chance to lose."  
  
"I don't know what kind of magic you worked on me last night," Rodimus told her flatly. "But today is going to be different." Lina's scarlet eyes dashed from side to side, searching for a possible escape. The humiliation was there too. Humiliation at having to run for her life. Meleyal was confused. She was supposed to be a sorceress. Why not just throw a spell? Surely, she couldn't be that much of a fool.   
  
"Are you ready?" Zel asked always willing to give that one last chance. When she did not respond he gathered his power. "Let's go." He pivoted. "Flare." A lance of light spiraled from his fingers and he grasped it with familiarity. "Arrow!" He threw the arrow with force, but obviously it was not meant to kill otherwise it would have. The arrow fell into the dust, causing a blinding screen. Meleyal could barely see Lina's black cape running off and then her master's behind it.   
  
"Lina!" Gourry cried before his attention had to be turned to fighting off both Rodimus and Dilgear. She was gone. Meleyal knew that she was as good as dead now. She shook her head at the senselessness of it all.  
  
When Zel overtook her there was nothing she could do but draw her sword. Zel was confused. Why wasn't she using her magic? Their blades sang in the midafternoon air. He made a downward slash that she caught, locking them together until one overpowered the other by sheer force.  
  
"Very impressive," he complimented her, not really pushing just yet but letting her tire herself a bit first. "But prepare to die." Gritting her teeth, she managed to shove him away. In that moment where he was recovering, she could have gotten him, but instead she turned and ran away again.  
  
"You won't escape!" He shouted after her still wondering why she chose to fight him this way. He sheathed his sword and ran after holding the scabbard so it would not trip him. He allowed her to stay ahead for a little while before using his demon speed. He knew that she had not even seen him pass her. With surprising agility, he pivoted and leaped back bringing his knee up for the blow. The impact was incredible. High speeds and the fact that he was stone created such a force that Lina was knocked away in two backward somersaults before crashing into a tree. Her mouth opened and fought for breath as she hugged her arms close around her body and bent over double. Leisurely, Zel walked over to her, his arms folded. When he reached her, she looked up, coughing.  
  
"You are supposed to," she wheezed barely able to get the words out. "Take it easy on girls." Zel let his arms fall to his sides as he regarded her truly pathetic form.  
  
"If you had just handed over the statue quietly to begin with I wouldn't have had to do that," he told her pausing just slightly over the words 'wouldn't have had to do that.' With his stone hand he raised her face up to him. "So in the end, this is all you are." It really had been quite disappointing. He had prepared to fight someone who was his match in magic, but she had yet to throw a single spell. "And now hand over the statue." He really didn't want to do anything else to her, but if he had to he would. That was when he noticed her curled fingers close to her body. He took a step back, but it was too late.   
  
"Lighting!" She shrieked as she leaped to her feet. Light blinded him. Light so intense it burned into his mind. With his palms pressing against his eyes he staggered backward. He could hear her running footsteps. She had escaped a second time. This was it. He had had it with this wretched sorceress who thus far had only cast a lighting spell. Shaking his head to clear the last of the light induced spots that danced across his vision, he sprinted after her. Using his superb sense of sound, he was able to track her through the tall grasses. Once she was in sight, he slowed to a stop, folding his arms.  
  
Lina had sensed his presence and she turned around in dread. He had her now. Her hands lifted for one last effort and his shields came up immediately, ready for whatever she had left.  
  
"Flare arrow!" she cried firing it at him. The power shook and died before it ever reached him.  
  
"Interesting," he muttered. Lina pressed a palm to her forehead, pivoted, and started to run again. Zel, however, was tired of running. Slowly and rather carelessly he raised his hand for his spell. There was a slight explosion and Lina stood motionless. Now she was his.  
  
"I've caught your shadow," he informed her in a conversational tone. "Can't move can you?" He walked over to her, taking his time about it.  
  
"It's a neat spell, Zel," she said, using his nickname that he never wanted to hear from anyone's lips save one. "Except for one thing. It's weakness is light, and that's my strength." Sighing, he allowed her to free herself of his Shadowsnap.   
  
"Well," he went on, gathering the globe on his upturned palm. "Try a Monobolt." He grabbed her shoulder and tried to drown out her screams as the painful shocks of electricity coursed through her. In a moment, she fell in an unconscious heap at his feet. At last. At last she was his. Now nothing could stop him. He sent one last ball of light into the air to signify to his companions that the job had been accomplished and that they were to come to him. He scooped Lina off the ground and lifted her over one shoulder. Victorious, he went to meet them half way.   
  
  



	6. Interrogation and Escape

Chapter 6: Interrogation and Escape  
  
Meleyal almost pitied the girl who was perched motionless on her master's shoulder. As they all fell into line to walk back to Mistwatch, she sided up to him. He gave her a sideways look and the slightest twitch of a smile. Then they just walked in silence, enjoying the comfort of having the other at their side. The company reached the building in early evening. The last drops of sunlight were dripping down the tree branches and stars were peeking down from above. All in all, it made a lovely sight. Too bad they had to leave it to enter the complete darkness. Once they were all inside, Rodimus went upstairs to rest as he would be taking the second watch while Zolf stood with them. He would take the first as soon as Zel was finished with the girl.   
  
"When is she going to come out of it?" Dilgear growled irritably when they entered.   
  
"Soon enough," her master muttered as he tied Lina's wrists tightly and hooked the rope around a sturdy beam. It was then that Meleyal realized something. Something that made her absolutely ill. Lina had done nothing to them. Had never meant them any harm. All she had wanted to do was to journey to Atlas City. She would have left them completely alone. True, she had wounded Zolf, but he had challenged her. She was innocent and yet Meleyal was helping her master kidnap her and steal from her. She realized then that she was the slave of a thief. That thought filled her with shame. Suddenly she wanted no part in any of this, yet what choice did she have. Lina moaned softly while Meleyal winced. The poor girl and she couldn't help her at all.   
  
Zel heard the moan and stood waiting for her eyes to open. The timing was perfect. He had just finished searching her for the statue. Unfortunately, she was not carrying it with her. He should have known better. He could always give himself the excuse that she might have it with her since it seemed he had over estimated her sorceress powers. However, his honor would not permit him to hide behind that. As her eyes finally unclosed, he stepped close, wary of her powerful kick.  
  
"Well," he told her in his cold voice. "Here we are." Lina stared in hate and revulsion. Of course, he was used to these kinds of stares by now. "Comfortable?" Naturally, she wouldn't answer. The sole reason he was doing this was to infuriate her. People said odd things when they were angry.  
  
"Where is the statue, witch?" Zolf grew impatient and blurted out the question. Strangely enough, that got a reaction.  
  
"Far from here," Lina said arrogantly.  
  
"You gave it to the boy," Zel said matter of factly.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not." That answer just proved him right. Why hadn't he thought of that before. "But with my protection spell on it you'll never find it."  
  
"Protection spell?" Zel wondered aloud.  
  
"Of course. You don't think I would carry something like that around without putting a protection spell on it."  
  
"You are capable of that kind of spell?" So far she had proven nothing to him of her sorceress capabilities.  
  
"How stupid do you think I am?"  
  
"All right, so you don't seem to be a fool so why did you use such weak tricks against me when we fought?" Lina lowered her head. Zel suddenly remembered a piece of information. "Of course, it's that time of the month."  
  
"Just lay off." She was an arrogant witch.  
  
"In any case, it will be mine. In the meantime, you may stay there. Dilgear?" The monstrosity slipped to his side. "Guard her." A last flourish of his cape and his slave following behind, he left her alone with the werewolf hoping to break her resolve. In his rage at himself and her, it was only because he needed her to find her companion that she was still alive.   
  
As soon as he was safely in his chamber did he drop his calm stance. In blind anger, he punched the stone wall as hard as he could. A great explosion of rock fragments and dust followed. Surprised at himself, he forced his hands to unclench. Jaylin was watching him in disapproval.  
  
"Get a hold of yourself," her eyes said. "This is not you." He laughed as he leaned against the wall and slid down. She was wrong. This was him. This was who he was. A time bomb ready to go off at any moment. The anger he had built up for so many days had risen to the point of hysteria. His arms encircled his knees and his head pillowed itself between them, laughing until he could no longer breathe, gasping, and then laughing again. It was an odd sensation, to lose one's mind. Jaylin's hands grasped his shoulders fiercely. She shook him until he raised his head and then she punched him in the face. One handed, he shoved her away from him more roughly than he intended. Her form slammed into the opposite wall and would have collapsed on the floor had her will not forced her to remain upright and glaring at him.   
  
"Fool," he reprimanded her, standing in all his former self control. He straightened his cape as he thought of what to say. Shaking her bruised and bloody knuckles, she glared. "Never do anything like that ever again."   
  
"Fine," her stare said, and she even managed to snap.  
  
"You deserved that you know," he tried to give an excuse to his behavior.   
  
"So did you."   
  
"Let me see your hand." She cradled it close to her body.  
  
"No."  
  
"That was a command." She shook her head, violently.   
  
Stubbornly, she refused to let him Heal her. It was her own fault that it had happened. He had needed something to be done. He was losing it. All she had to do now was wait for the consequences. She was really in for it this time. Punching him like that. Of all the dumb things she could have done. Even though she shouldn't have done it, she felt it had to be done. She wasn't going to allow him to Heal her. It was only her useless right hand anyway. In a flurry of motion, his demon speed brought him close. He grabbed her hand. She wrestled out of the grip.  
  
"Calm down," she told him via her eyes. She found that he was usually responsive to that. Oddly enough, he did. He stepped away and sat down on the floor in the corner farthest from her.   
  
"I suppose it wouldn't make much of a difference if I told you I was sorry." She just stared at him. "But I am." She raised an eyebrow, not really knowing what she was supposed to do. "If you won't let me Heal your hand will you at least stay with me tonight?"  
  
"If that be your wish, master." Why was she being so obedient now?   
  
"Yes, that is my wish. It is impossible for me to describe to you what I feel, but I want you to be where I can see you tonight." She shrugged and came over to him. "No, lay down on the bench there." She narrowed her eyes in distrust. It passed in a moment. She trusted him with more than her life. She had to. "That's right. Now close your eyes."  
  
She did as she was told. He knew what he was going to do. There had been a moment of clarity somewhere. He knew she couldn't come with him where he was going. It would be too dangerous. Neither could she stay here. "Do not move," he commanded. He saw her tense and he knew that she was thinking he was going to do something entirely different than what he had in mind. All he did was open the door as quietly as possible and slip outside. Making his way through Mistwatch in complete darkness, he managed to find Rodimus.   
  
"Zelgadis?" The old warrior lowered his axe as he recognized the young man. "What's going on?"  
  
"I'm leaving. Only you know and it will remain that way until you tell the others. I'm going alone. Once I am gone, I want you to take Zolf and Jaylin and get them out of here, tonight. Go as far and as fast as you can. Dilgear will doubtless follow me when he finds out what I have in mind and I don't want you to be with me when he does. Meet me at Materon in three days."  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"It will be the way it was, Rodimus. I will find a way to restore everything. We can go back."  
  
"Zelgadis --" The chimera's eyes shone with unholy light and Rodimus decided not to tell him that things could never go back to the way they were. "Be very careful."  
  
"Just keep her safe for me."  
  
"Always. You know there was no other master I would have given her to other than you."  
  
"Thank you my friend."  
  
"Never mind. Get out of here and may the Light go with you." They clasped hands in friendship one last time and then Zel slipped back into the corridor. He crept past the sleeping Dilgear easily, relying on his demon skills and his human cunning to get into the room. Lina still hung there, apparently asleep, although how anyone could sleep like that was beyond him. Her eyes opened when he came up to her and the question was almost through her lips.  
  
"Please be quiet," he whispered, drawing his sword. She drew in her breath for a scream, but before she could he had cut her down. As she was massaging the feeling back into her arms he threw her cloak over her shoulders and slipped her sword back into the empty scabbard at her hip.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked in complete bewilderment as she fastened the cloak clasp.  
  
"I thought you wanted to escape," he replied as he turned on his heel. Totally confused, she followed him blindly. Once again, they passed Dilgear who thankfully did not hear their footsteps. He managed to get them out of Mistwatch without alerting Zolf either for which he was grateful. He only hoped that Rodimus would get Jaylin out of there fast. He did not enjoy thinking of her being ripped to pieces by Dilgear. The two walked in the dark at a fast clip. Lina's long legs easily keeping pace. He never once looked back to see if she was still following him. He needn't even worry about that. It would not matter if she tried to get away or not. He would know the moment she did and he could catch her. He doubted she would try though. Their previous fight still fresh in her memory and she still was unable to cast any spells. All he had to do was find her companion. Once he had done that there would be nothing that could stop him.   
  
"So," Lina's whisper caught his ear. "Where are we going?" He decided not to respond to a question like that. "Oh, I see, you're leading me into another trap aren't you?" Again, he decided not to answer. She didn't need to know that yet. "Well, I suppose where ever we're going has to be better than hanging around back there."  
  
"I wouldn't say such things like that if I were you. You may regret that statement before long."  
  
"Whatever." He knew that as soon as Dilgear woke up and alerted Rezo he would be in for a fight. He was not looking forward to that confrontation, but if he planned it out just right he might live to achieve his ultimate goal. Thankfully, Lina slipped into silence and they continued through the shadows.  
  
A knock came at her door, so soft she could barely hear. It wasn't her master because he would not knock at the door of his own chambers. Curious and wary she opened it a crack to see who it was. The tell tale white beard told her it was only Rodimus. She allowed him inside and closed the door behind him.  
  
"What's going on?" She demanded immediately, grateful that she could make demands of Rodimus. The freedom of being allowed to speak was remarkable.   
  
"We're leaving."  
  
"Leaving?"   
"We're going to Materon."  
  
"That's at least three days travel from here. Where's my master?"  
  
"He's already gone." The shock of that was almost too much. Gone? He had left her? The sense of abandonment was overwhelming.   
  
"Where has he gone?"  
  
"He didn't say. All I know is that he took Lina and he's gone." Lina? He took Lina and not her? She was his slave, she was supposed to be at his side constantly unless he told her that he didn't want her there. What had his last words to her been? Don't move. That's what they were. Don't move. So he had left her behind.   
  
"Why did he leave me here?"  
  
"He thought it would be too dangerous for you to go with him." Too dangerous? He himself was too dangerous. How dare he? She could handle herself in a fight just as well as he could.  
  
"Do you think we can catch him?"  
  
"That was not what he wanted us to do. We are going to Materon. Now get your cloak and let's away."  
  
"What about Dilgear?"  
  
"He's not to know. We have to get out without him knowing we're gone." She bit her lip against a curse for her master. If he wanted to leave her behind, fine. If he wanted to take Lina with him, fine. She didn't care. She didn't understand why it hurt so much that he wanted the sorceress with him over her anyway. She had told him herself that she did not love him. Jealousy, Meleyal? She questioned herself. Possessive? Fool.   
  
They collected Zolf, slipped out without alerting Dilgear, and escaped easily into the forests. Materon. What was in Materon anyway?   
  
"Can we stop yet?" Lina panted behind Zel. She was a nuisance. She was slower than he was and she was most definitely a nuisance. At least, had Jaylin been with him, he would be permitted to go over his plans in quiet. Not with Lina though. She complained and whined more than anyone he had ever known. One would think she had never even slept outdoors.  
  
"Very well," he replied impatiently. He stopped running and turned to regard her with his arms folded. He had chosen a bad place to stop, however. Closeby was a pond, and in that pond was something he did not want to fight.   
  
"Do I hear water?" Lina questioned as she turned her head sideways to listen. "Yes, it has to be." She ran off in the direction of the pond.  
  
"Lina!" He shouted after her. He heard her exasperated yell.  
  
"Oh, what now?" He came up next to her.  
  
"Don't get near the water," he cautioned.  
  
"Oh, please Zel," he tensed at the nickname. "I'm so thirsty." He scanned the water, uneasily.  
  
"Fine," he gave in. "But be quick about it and be careful." Smiling oddly, she ran down to the waterside and gulped greedily. It was quite pathetic really. When she was finished she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and sighed contentedly.  
  
"That's so much better. Don't you want a drink?"  
  
"I'm fine. If you're finished we should go." Actually, what he meant was if she were finished she should get away from the water's edge. He looked down to find her studying him carefully. As a chimera he found it disturbing to be stared at so intently.   
  
"Do you find my face that freakish?" He asked when he could bear the scrutiny no longer.  
  
"I wasn't staring at that, honest," she stuttered.  
  
"I assure you this face was not mine by choice." With that he pulled his hood in place and turned from her view. He clenched his hand so tight dust sifted down from the scraped stone. Soon, he told himself. Very soon. The splash brought him back to reality. Of course Noonsa had attacked when his attention had wandered.   
  
"How embarrassing," he said to no one in particular. He would have to act fast now. Lina couldn't hold her breath forever and Noonsa was sure to try to drown her. "Ray wing!" He cried and a protective bubble surrounded him. He sank into the water, while remaining completely dry within the confines of his spell. It took his eyes a moment to get accustomed to the dark water, but as soon as they did he saw it. Dilgear seemed almost tame to this monstrosity. If his heart hadn't been made of stone, the sight would have made him tremble in fear. Noonsa, the fish man. Rezo seemed to specialize in chimeras. The thing had the arms and torso of a man, but a tail and face like that of a great aquatic animal. Dark scales covered his entire body and gills fanned in and out from his face. Every once in a while, he would grin at the struggling Lina, who was held tight in his strong hands, showing her his sharp teeth. Then he would ripple out his spines along his back in laughter.  
  
Zel was about ready to intervene, when Lina gave one ferocious kick to Noonsa's head, causing him to loose her to the water. As he regained his position, he sent his poisoned barbs racing in all directions. Lina swam for the safety of a rock. Keeping one eye on the fish man, Zel came up behind her, encompassing her inside his bubble. Relieved, she fell to her knees.  
  
"Thanks Zel," she gasped as he sniffed in distaste.  
  
"I cannot allow you to be killed before I get the statue," was all he told her. She looked disappointed.  
  
"So what are we going to do about that?" She pointed outside where an enraged Noonsa was charging them. Zel smirked at the stupidity of the creature.  
  
"I'll take care of it." When Noonsa reached the Ray Wing, Lina and Zel flung themselves out of it, allowing the fish man to be caught inside. Zel placed one gloved hand on the bubble, speaking one word. "Fireball!" Although most of the following explosion was encompassed by the Ray Wing, the churning of the water threw the duo into the night air. Both did a forward flip to balance themselves out and landed on their feet. Before they left the area, Zel looked backward just to make sure that Noonsa's dead body was floating in the pond. Now it would only be a matter of time. Probably that very night. After her former experience with the aquatic chimera, Noonsa, Lina had fallen into a brooding silence that Zel was thankful for. She just followed him, confident in his abilities. All well and good.  
  
The moon, round and full, above him caused an unexpected surge of panic in him. Waving a hand for Lina to follow he began to run. Not as fast as he could, but fast enough for her to keep up with him. He could admit to himself, and only himself, that he was surprised when the land suddenly dropped to a steep incline. Automatically, his body responded and he managed to slide down and maintain his balance. Behind him, he heard that Lina was not having such an easy time of it.   
  
In one fluid motion, he landed on his feet, knees bending slightly to absorb the shock of their own accord. Turning, he saw his companion do a couple of somersaults to land in a heap at his side. She untangled herself, but did not rise to continue.  
  
"What's the matter?" He asked her impatiently. That sense of panic was still there, so strong it was almost choking him.   
  
"I was just thinking." He rolled his eyes wondering when she had the time to do that while she had been tumbling down the hillside. "You want the statue so you can't let me die, right?"  
  
"Obviously." What point was she trying to make?  
  
"So until that happens you have to play bodyguard for me. Isn't that right?"  
  
"I suppose you could put it that way." Impatience and panic were not good emotions to mix. If she didn't hurry he would forget about playing bodyguard and do her person some serious harm.   
  
"Glad to have you working for me Zel." She slapped him on the back, then stepped away shaking her stinging hand. To her, it would seem as though she'd just hit a rock, and in truth, she had. The sight of her like that was oddly amusing, but that feeling quickly departed as the sense of danger escalated. He paused, standing stark still, waiting.  
  
"What's going on?" Lina asked when he tensed. He motioned her behind him and dropped down to a fighting crouch. Before them, radiating a red glow, was Rezo. It was not really him, only a projection of him. A wise move on his part. Zel would not be able to kill him if there was no body there to kill, and the mage could still cast spells. He was just as dangerous when he was in truth many miles distant than if it had really been him standing there.  
  
"And just what are you doing, Zelgadis?" The blind man questioned in his cold mocking voice. "Trying to help her escape?" Zel's muscles flexed, ready for the fight, and he remained silent.  
  
"I am very disappointed that you have not been very honest with me. It's obvious you've turned against me."  
  
"You mean," Lina stuttered. "You two are on the same side?" Now, that was an intelligent statement. What kind of manipulation had Rezo done without his knowledge?  
  
"Silence!" He snapped then turned his attention back to the Red Priest. "I don't have to obey you anymore." A confident enough statement to make.  
  
"Oh," Rezo smirked, but then Rezo always smirked. "Is that so? How dare you turn against me? Even after I mercifully granted you the very power that you sought from me."  
  
"What was merciful about it? Yes, I said I wanted power. But I don't remember asking to become a chimera in the process."  
  
"It was simply the most efficient way of giving you what you said you wanted. The means and the methods I use naturally have powerful effects and I'm afraid you'll have to learn to live with the unpleasant consequences." Zel growled while Lina laughed nervously.  
  
"I'll just see myself out," she muttered and pivoted to run into the woods. Lightning quick, Zel caught her, dragging her back, and holding her between himself and Rezo as she cried protests all the while.   
  
"So now you intend to use the girl as a shield?" Rezo demanded as he listened carefully, thus determining what was going on.  
  
"As a shield?" Lina shrieked.  
  
"That won't help you. What will using the girl do to protect you from my power?"  
  
"If I used the girl as a shield, I couldn't escape you," Zel told the man calmly. "I have a better plan." In one fluid motion, he had swept Lina up in his arms and threw her at Rezo, who neatly dodged out of the way. He really didn't have to dodge seeing as he wasn't really there, but reflexes had taken over. Smiling at his success, Zel sprinted at top speed, leaving his enemy behind. Unfortunately, all did not go as planned. He was not quite as fast as he had timed it out, and Lina had slammed into a tree. Wincing slightly for her, he snatched her up as he passed, tucking her under one arm and casting a spell behind them with the other.   
  
"Don't be so rough!" Lina cried as she raised her hands to keep from being slapped in the face by the rough thorn bushes they were racing through.  
  
"Complain later." The only thing he had to do then was put as much distance between himself and Rezo as possible. Then he would be safe. At least, for the time being.  
  
The twisted form that made up Dilgear started at the sudden glow that appeared before him. He had just discovered that he was the only one left at Mistwatch and was just deciding what he should do next.  
  
"Lord Rezo," he spoke the name in awe. To his disappointment, his master did not appear in person, only sent his presence and voice. "Lord Rezo, what would you have me do?"  
  
"Go, faithful servant. Go after Zelgadis, and kill him." Dilgear's eyes narrowed in delight at the prospect of killing the chimera.  
  
"Yes, Lord Rezo."  
  
"Do not fail." Then he was gone, leaving Dilgear alone with his bloodlust.  
  
"We make camp here," Rodimus stated as he inspected the small thicket before them. Zolf nodded wearily, but Meleyal was incredulous.  
  
"Here? Shouldn't we keep on?" Rodimus turned to give her a considering look.  
  
"Getting there any faster won't bring him there any sooner than what he has planned. We have time and even then I'm sure we will have to wait for him." She sighed, beaten on this point.  
  
"What about Dilgear?"  
  
"We're out of danger of him. He won't be after us once he finds that Lina is gone. It's your master he'll be following." She knew that he was right, but that didn't make the waiting or worrying part any easier. He was her master, and she wanted to be there with him in case he should need her. Zolf immediately curled into his cloak, shielding his eyes from the coming dawn. It was barely up yet, only a pale sliver of gold off to the east, not even quite visible between the tree branches. Meleyal spared him a glance. She was not particularly fond of the wizard. The only reason she tolerated him at all was because he was also in the service of her master. She knew that he disliked her as well. How this arrangement came to be, she didn't know. She only knew that she was glad Rodimus was there so that she wouldn't have to be alone with him.   
  
"Rodimus," she said his name to get his attention. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him wince when she called him by his first name. He was another puzzle she had to solve, just as soon as she got the first one out of the way. "Can you tell me somewhat?"  
  
"That depends," he said, concentrating on the ground in front of him. "On what you want to know." She flopped down next to him in the grass, completely at ease with the grizzled warrior even though she barely knew him.  
  
"I want to know my master's name. He has neglected to mention that bit of information himself."  
  
"I'm afraid, my child, that I cannot tell you that. If he has not told you his name by now, odds are he doesn't want you to know."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"There is a certain power that comes with one's name. I guess he just doesn't want you to have that power as of yet."  
  
"But he can trust me with anything."  
  
"You and I know that, but your master is a very secretive person." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair.  
  
"I kind of figured that. Can you tell me anything about him?"  
  
"He's determined. That is really all I am at liberty to say to you."  
  
"Why is he so insistent on keeping everything about his past so secret? What could he possibly have done?"  
  
"He's been hurt, child. Badly. He doesn't trust easily. Just give him time."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"Enough questions for now. Get some rest. We leave again at midday."  
  
"One last thing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do I know you? It seems as though I should." A flash of hope crossed Rodimus' wearied eyes. She must know him, otherwise those words would not have had that reaction.  
  
"Yes, child. You know me."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I am Rodimus. Plain and simple." With a bow, he stretched out on the ground. Biting her lip, she did the same. That had not gone the way she had wanted it to at all. She would never find out what she needed to know this way. Actually, at this rate, with her limitations, she would never find what she needed to know at all. As she was just drifting off, a cold piercing howl racked the easy morning wind and Meleyal's blood froze.  
  
  
  



	7. Explanation

Chapter 7: Explanation  
  
"It appears we've lost him," Zel stated as he put his charge down and leaned against a tree. She immediately crept towards a small stream to give her damaged face a lookover. That was safe enough now.  
  
"Oh," she cried as she inspected herself. "Now my nose looks like somebody squashed it in." Zel shook and lowered his head over his folded arms. She had barely escaped with her life and she was worried about how her nose looked. Besides. . .  
  
"It looked like that before," he told her. Not exactly the most sympathetic thing he could have said, but Lina was beginning to grate on his nerves. How far is it to Materon again, he questioned himself.   
  
"Who asked you?" Wonderful, now she was mad at him. Not that it really mattered, only it seemed she talked more when she was upset.   
  
"Are you tired?" He asked, hoping to get her to sleep. "We have a little time to rest."  
  
"You too?" As an answer he slid down to the grass. Silence, that's all he wanted. A few moments of blessed silence. Just in case she missed the obvious, he also pulled down his hood over his eyes. It didn't matter if his vision was blocked, he could still hear the slight scraping of her boots.  
  
"Please," he said, flashing his half smile. "Trust me, you're not going anywhere so you might as well take advantage of this. It may be awhile before we get another chance." A disappointed sigh sounded, followed by the rustling of air that meant she had flopped down to sulk.  
  
"I don't suppose," she began now that she knew there was no way she was going to escape from him. "I could ask a few questions?" Of course she would have questions. He beckoned patience to stand with him for a time longer. She really did have a right to know, she was a major part of this now. He gestured for her to go ahead. He didn't really want to sleep anyway. It would not do to have a nightmare while in her presence.   
  
"Who was that man?"   
  
"Rezo, the Red Priest." Simple enough. What kind of sorceress was she that she didn't know that?  
  
"He really is the Red Priest? I thought he was an impostor."  
  
"No, he is as he said."  
  
"What does he want with me?"  
  
"You? He couldn't care less about you. He wants the statue."  
  
"Seems to be a popular item these days. Why?"  
  
"Surely you have discovered by now that the orihalcon is simply hiding a deeper magic. What Rezo seeks looks something like this," he paused to pick up a smooth rock that was halfway buried in the soil. He held it up for her inspection. "It's quite famous. The Philosopher Stone." He threw the rock into the stream. If she didn't know about the Philosopher Stone he was certain she wasn't truly a sorceress. It was legend that the Stone was a fragment from the staff of the Gods that held up the world. That part was legend. It was fact that it was a powerful magic amplifier. A single sorcerer using the Stone could destroy an entire kingdom. That's why Zel needed to get to it first, and keep it.   
  
"Why does Rezo want it so badly? Don't tell me he's trying to conquer the world. Can't he come up with something more original than that?"  
  
"As you have heard, Rezo was born without sight. He wants his eyes healed. For that reason he began to study White magic and after he mastered it he traveled through many lands performing great miracles as he went. He would cure people's blindness, but, while he could heal their eyes for some reason he wasn't able to heal his own. And so he expanded his knowledge to include Shamanism and the Black Arts. Still his eyes refused to answer to the light and so to finally cure his blindness. ."  
  
"He's going after the Philosopher Stone because it will make his magic so strong." Zel nodded. "I get it. The stuff he told me about reviving the dark lord was a lie. He was just stringing me along so he could get the statue. So why are you so determined to make sure he doesn't get it? You want to interfere with him?"  
  
"I don't want to interfere with Rezo. I just want to kill him, and for that I need the stone."  
  
"You really think he's that evil? Evil enough to kill?"  
  
"He is, and without the stone I could never hope to defeat him." Also, without the stone he could never hope to heal himself. Everything relied on his gaining possession of it. Only after he had it could he fix everything. He had another mystery to solve as well. Rezo had told Lina something about resurrecting Shabranigdo, Dark Lord of the Monster Race. There was something about that statement that didn't make sense. Why would he even bring up Shabranigdo? There was no connection there at all. He didn't have time to think on it for very long. A great flock of birds vaulted out of the shelter of the forest, crying out a warning. It hadn't taken as long as he had hoped for Dilgear to find him. He grabbed Lina and ducked behind some brush. Such an action was pointless, but maybe he might get lucky this once.  
  
Berihn took up his post against the wall as the twenty-eight slaves of Mestronia filed into the room for their midday meal. Silently he counted them to make sure they were all present. Thirteen Whites, five Silvers, seven Grays, and the two Blacks who had been broken from his last Choosing. That made twenty-seven. There was one girl missing along with Galwer, the Master of the Breaking. He would have to look into that once he was finished. The girl had to break soon. If not, she would be of no use.   
  
Reskir, the Whitemaster, bowed to him from the other side of the spacious main hall. Berihn acknowledged him with a nod then did the same for the other three. All was routine. The eldest two Whites sat next to the Blacks, informing them of small mistakes and teaching them bits of protocol. They were the only slaves allowed to speak during a meal. Otherwise, silence rested on everything, though it was not tense as one would expect it to be. It was relaxing. Everyone knew their place and everyone stayed there. Berihn watched as one of the Blacks reverently touched the sword that hung from the White's hip. The elder girl gently removed the hand, shaking her head at the action. Only Whites were permitted to wear a blade, although Silvers could carry the empty scabbard. It was a talisman of power in Mestronia.   
  
Mestronia's master paced between the long tables, nodding his approval. The Blacks smiled at him, bowing their heads. They knew him not as the man who had taken them away from their homes, but the man who had saved them from the Breaking. Here and there, a Gray would smile and bow from her stool, and a few even had the courage to copy the Silvers, who stood up to give him a full sweeping curtsey. The Whites dropped to the floor in a kneeling posture of comfortable fealty. As custom, the higher a girl's rank, the more respect she paid to the master.  
  
"Lord Berihn," Yenjis, the doorkeeper, tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Raising an eyebrow, he turned from a kneeling slave to regard the short man with coarse brown hair and deep set blue eyes. "There is a strange man at the door who wishes an audience with you."  
  
"His name?"  
  
"He calls himself Rezo." The White, Deseray, raised her head to give her master a questioning look. She remembered the Red Priest also.  
  
"Indeed? I'll meet him in the library directly."  
  
"Very good lord." He bowed and scurried away. Biting his lip in wonderment, he gestured for Deseray to rise. She looked at him expectantly. Poor girl. She had this habit of listening intently to everything that was said around her and remembering it. Her curiosity was ferocious and it was now completely set on the strange man called Rezo.   
  
"Deseray," he gave in to her silent pleading. "I want you to go fetch a pitcher of mead and two goblets and bring them to us in the library." She beamed a smile and curtseyed before gliding away. He shook his head, laughing to himself as he made his way to his audience.   
  
All humor faded as he opened the sturdy oak door. He had only dealt with Rezo once and to his taste once was plenty. The blind man replaced a book on the shelf with precision, though why he had taken it down in the first place was beyond Berihn's understanding.   
  
"Good day, honored sage," he bowed though there was no need.   
  
"And to you, master of Mestronia," the sorcerer's voice was smooth and oddly sarcastic. Deseray slipped in silently just in time to hear the real conversation. She poured the mead with a practiced hand and bowed herself into a corner out of the way, poised to refill in a moment. Normally, she would have just left the pitcher, but her master had given her leave to stay and listen.   
  
"You have need of me, I assume?" Berihn began once they were both seated at one of the tables.   
  
"Indeed. I have a need for one of your slaves." Now his interest was up. Anything that dealt with a profit was certainly worth giving one's full attention to.   
  
"I have thirteen Whites ready to be sold right now. Shall we?" He was half out of his chair before Rezo held his hand to stop him.  
  
"Those that you have here are not satisfactory for my needs."  
  
"That depends on what your needs are."  
  
"She must be a returned slave." Interesting. What difference would that make? A returned slave was still just a slave.   
  
"For experience purposes?" He guessed trying to give an explanation for such a strange choice.   
  
"Exactly. The second any slave comes to Mestronia I wish for you to contact me. I will pay you one hundred thousand pieces of silver for her. In advance." A pouch heavy with the mentioned silver coins was flung carelessly on the table. Rezo stood, grasping his staff. Berihn opened the door motioning for Deseray to leave the pitcher and show the Priest out.  
  
"Don't forget," Rezo warned.  
  
"Worry not. I'll notify you the moment she arrives."  
  
"Very good then. I shall be staying in Kinos until I receive word from you." Deseray gave him a smile before closing the door behind her. Dazed he opened the pouch to inspect the money. One hundred thousand silver pieces. Never had he charged that much for a slave in all his years. He needn't even bother to count it. The mere weight was enough to tell him that it was more than sufficient. Strange Rezo certainly was, but one could handle a little eccentricity when it came in a pouch heavy with one hundred thousand silver pieces.   
  
He hadn't even realized how long he had been staring into the bag until Deseray returned to retrieve the pitcher and goblets. Her eyes widened in surprise at finding him still there, that and the glint of the silver.   
  
"One hundred thousand pieces, Deseray," he said shaking his treasure for emphasis. "The man is mad." She gave a slight nod as she gathered the goblets in her long fingers. "You'll have to tell everyone to be on watch for the first returned slave." She nodded again, straightening from the table with the mead. He smiled at her then tied the pouch to her sword belt. "See that is taken care of as well." She returned his smile.  
  
"Yes master." With a practiced grace she managed to open the door without the use of her hands and disappeared down the corridor. Berihn went in the opposite direction toward the east stairwell and down to the breaking chambers. As he drew close to where Galwer would be, he softened his step. The Breaking was a delicate process and a slammed door or a heavy tred could destroy a slave's mind if one wasn't careful. Before the door he paused, listening for Galwer's speech inside. He was speaking to the girl with his slow soft voice. Berihn leaned against the door until he was finished then knocked twice.  
  
"How is the girl?" Was his first question as Galwer stepped outside to join him in the hall.   
  
"I think she is almost ready."  
  
"May I test her?"  
  
"Not yet. Wait a few minutes. I am running her through now."  
  
"Why is she so difficult?"  
  
"Her mind is incredibly strong. It is difficult for me to reach her. She takes herself from me somehow."  
  
"You can get past this?"  
  
"Yes, I have, but it takes time. I think it wise to leave her under constantly."   
  
"I can't afford to keep her under constantly."   
  
"She's almost ready." Galwer was plagued with the fear of failing. That was an attribute that made him a marvelous Breakmaster. He looked upon this girl as a challenge. A challenge that had become a desperate race to break her before Berihn sent her away.  
  
"We shall see." He opened the door into the room. It was a comfortable sort of room with a few scattered woven rugs, an old bookcase filled with leather-bound tombs of ancient psychological musings, one desk strewn with miscellaneous parchment papers upon which was scrawled blotted notes. Galwer was a philosopher and a hypnotist and all his tastes in furnishings betrayed that of him.   
  
The girl was there too. A pretty thing, she would have to be to have ended up here. Her hair was completely white hanging long down her back and straight bangs heralded her forehead. Her violet eyes were wide open and her breath came in rapid succession. Although she was seated quite comfortably on a backed stool across from Galwer's desk, to her eyes she was in a cold dark stone cell. It was common knowledge that slaves were put through incredible torture to insure obedience. Contrary to that common knowledge, slaves were not broken physically. There were no hooks, or whips, or red hot pinchers. Nothing like that, except within the confines of the slave's mind.   
  
It was a complicated thing to explain which was why the people were allowed to believe that torture was carried out within Mestronia's walls. To build up a new person, one must first break down the old. Galwer was the man to do that. He would calm the slave's mind until it was extremely sensitive to his voice. At that point he could insert whatever images he wished in her brain. She would see what he wanted her to see. He could strip her of all of her past. That part was easy enough, but then once she was out of the trance she would again be able to catch glimpses of that past. She would want to remember things and that would not be acceptable. This was the reason they had to be broken. She would be made to think she had undergone extreme physical pain. It would come back to her vividly whenever she would dwell on her memories. Everything she tried to recall would end up with her supposed breaking and would bring trauma to her body. Once she was completely broken, which happened once she had forgotten her name, then Berihn took her and built up her personality in the way he wanted it. He could mold her into the slave he wished her to be. Since this was the only thing the slave had at this point, she clung to it fiercely. Her life at Mestronia would be her only life and she would be content with what she had. That was the reason Mestronian slaves were so obedient and so valuable.   
  
Berihn knelt down so he was looking the girl right in her eyes. She could see him as he was because Galwer had not yet told her how she was to see him. It was only her surroundings and Galwer himself that she saw differently. Her muscles tensed and a drop of sweat rolled down one side of her face. She thought he was here to hurt her.   
  
"How are you called?" He asked the cringing child. If she could not answer she would be ready. Her mouth opened to answer, yet there was no answer. A confused look came over her as she realized that something that usually had come to her almost unbidden simply was not there. Eventually she hung her head in defeat as Berihn smiled in triumph. She was ready. Ever so gently, he lifted her from the stool and carried her out of the Breaking chambers, giving Galwer a nod and smile as he passed. The girl leaned her head against him and closed her eyes, utterly exhausted now that the hypnotist had released her. She would be taken to the quarter of the Blacks to rest. When she awoke she would be disoriented. That was when Berihn would explain to her who she was and what she was doing in Mestronia. From there, the teaching could begin.   
  
He studied her carefully as he laid her down on a freshly made straw pallet. Already he was evaluating her for sale. Her violet eyes were a lovely added extra, such a contrast to the white hair. She possessed wonderful spirit that could be reformed and turned into the will to please her master. Her name, he decided as he left her alone, will be Risper. Perfect.  
  
"Perfect, just perfect," Lina muttered at his side while he tried to count exactly how many enemies he would be facing. "How many are there?"  
  
"Six or seven trolls," he reported. "And Dilgear, but Rezo isn't with them. We'll manage somehow."   
  
"Zelgadis!" The half wolf's growling snarl tore through the tranquillity of the woods. "Show yourself." Too proud to back away from any challenge, he stood to face him. As was the way with all cowards, Dilgear had his trolls attack first. Zel would have to be quick in killing them or he would have a long fight on his hands. A troll must be killed immediately, or its incredible healing power would restore it and the fight would start again.   
  
Zel made quick work of the first couple in utter silence. Every warrior had their own particular style of fighting. Beserkers howled like the madmen they were during every battle. Others yelled simply from exertion and force. Zel remained quiet. Every ounce of his being concentrating fully on the task at hand. He killed swiftly, with precision, and silently.   
  
After he had killed the first two he decided he had better not waste all his energy on trolls when he could get rid of them all with one spell, leaving him free and ready to combat with Dilgear. Pressing Lina behind him, he crouched low to the ground, hand gathering the power he needed.   
  
"Earth below me," he chanted as he slammed his hand down to clutch the soil. "Submit to my will. Stone Spiker!" A magnificent Shaumanist spell. As he released it into the ground everything trembled and suddenly great mounds of rock were rushing up from out of their grassy confines. The rocky pikes speared the remaining trolls. When all of them were dead, Zel banished the power and everything was still. Lina stood wide eyed a ways behind him, having the sense to stay out of it for a change.   
  
"Not bad," Dilgear complimented him. "But let's see how you do against me without your cheap Shaumanist tricks." Zel smiled.  
  
"So you think you, a mere man-beast, can defeat me by using sword alone?" He smirked, as though the thought were very amusing. The insult was too much for Dilgear. With a cry of rage, he charged at Zel, who did not even try to parry the blow. Lina shrieked in what might have been called real fear, but fear for what Zel didn't know. Dilgear slashed his blade from Zel's left side upward across his chest, but Zel stood motionless. Confused the man-beast glanced at his blade just in time to see a few chips of the metal break away. Zel raised his sword, knowing that Dilgear had just lost his will to fight.  
  
"If you want to kill me with a sword, Dilgear," he informed the monster. "It had better be a sword of light!" Mouth agape, the beast sheathed his sword, then dropping on all fours he loped off into the forests.  
  
"I'll kill you for Lord Rezo if it's the last thing I ever do!" He shouted as he ran.  
  
"I'm sure," Zel muttered even though he knew that Dilgear couldn't hear as he sheathed his own sword with a flourish. Somewhere off to the side he heard applause. Lina! He had almost forgotten her.  
  
"Way to go Zelgadis," she complimented as she stepped closer.  
  
"Enough," he snarled gazing at the battle scene.  
  
"But now it looks as though Rezo knows where we are."  
  
"Clearly."  
  
"Got any more places we can hide?" Actually, they hadn't even gotten to where he had thought they could hide yet. Materon was still a ways away. Jaylin would be waiting for him there. As for hiding places along the way.  
  
"No." She sighed, jumping on one of the rocks that had risen to the surface during the Stone Spiker.   
  
"Guess you'd better come with me then."  
  
"Oh? And where are you going?" She wasn't going anywhere without him, that was for sure. He didn't think she was quite clear yet on the fact that she was the prisoner. She closed her eyes, turned around a couple of times, then pointed off in a direction. Good thing it happened to be the right direction for Materon.  
  
"That way," she announced setting her shoulders and hopping down.  
  
"Then let's get going." Taking the initiative, he set their pace hoping to get as far as possible before Dilgear attacked again. Indeed, he had lost his nerve this time, but the next time might not be the same. As he walked he again had to ponder on why everything had to be so difficult.  
  
He was made of stone, that was the only way Dilgear could explain it. He sat alone in the forests examining his damaged sword and planning out his next course of action. It would be easy enough for him to follow their trail, but what to do once he found them again. A sword of light was what the chimera had said would kill him. There was only one sword of light and no one knew where it was.   
  
Rezo had commanded him to kill Zelgadis, and he would. He saw no need to report this failure to his lord seeing how much the priest hated failures. He would have another chance, even stone could be crushed. All he had to do was avoid his master until he had succeeded in the task. Keeping a blind man in the dark sounded easy enough. Forcefully, he slammed the sword back into the shabby scabbard, then slipped away into the dappled shadows of the forest.  
  
A timid knock sounded on his wooden door so softly it was only because of his light sleep that he was awakened at all. As Berihn climbed out of bed he regretted telling the novice Gray to come wake him should anything unusual occur.   
  
"What is it, Phrostfern?" He half spoke, half yawned to the young girl standing patiently outside his room, her heart shaped face illuminated with the light of her candle.   
  
"It's a slave, master," she told him. "Just come back and waiting for you in the entry hall."  
  
"Very well." She led him through the corridors while he wondered why the building had to be so big when he only chose three girls a year and why everything always happened at night when all decent people were sleeping. He could have easily gotten to the entry hall without her guidance, but it made her feel important and useful to lead him. After all, he wasn't as heartless as everyone seemed to think he was. He loved all his girls just as deeply as they loved him. It was for their own benefit that they were broken, not an act of cruelty. At least, that was his opinion.  
  
The moment he stepped into the entry hall a dark shape huddled on the stone floor near his feet. She wore a white cloak with the hood up concealing everything. As if he could have seen her face with it almost touching the ground.  
  
"Stand, daughter," he commanded trying to stifle another yawn. This was business after all. He knew she was a white because of her cloak and so therefore called her daughter. Blacks were known as nothing since they were of no value yet. Grays were called girl. Silvers, child. And Whites, daughter.   
  
She stood, staggering a bit as she did so. He offered her his arm as a balance and to also welcome her back into his home. As she clung to him, he pushed back her hood with his free hand to reveal her face. Her face with it's short shock of black hair and strange golden eyes rimmed with black that were so striking in comparison to her delicate features.  
  
"Ah," he recognized her. "Ebonis. You have returned."  
  
"Yes, master," she stammered. He smiled, knowing that she had traveled nonstop for days to get here as fast as she could. Drawing her shaking form close, he kissed her forehead.  
  
"Welcome home."   
  
"Thank you, master."   
  
"You may go prepare a room," he told Phrostfern who stood patiently out of the way. She bobbed in quick acceptance of the command and strode away in complete darkness, leaving the candle for their use. Berihn led his slave to a bench built out of stone right into the wall to the left of the main entrance. He did not want to question her now because it was obvious she was in pain and exhausted, but ritual demanded that they be asked before she spent one night under his roof. She collapsed gratefully on the cold stone and he perched close to her, taking her hands in his.  
  
"How long have you been traveling?"  
  
"Four days, master."  
  
"From where have you come?"  
  
"Lentre, the home of Lord Withrone, master."  
  
"Why have you come?"  
  
"I have no other place to go, master."  
  
"Have you been dishonored?" That was a double question. It meant had she been thrown out of her master's service and had she been spoiled.  
  
"No, master." She was quick with the answer.  
  
"He has died?"  
  
"Yes, master."  
  
"Of natural causes?"  
  
"Yes, master. He was old."  
  
"Very good. What is your age?"  
  
"Twenty winters, master." He nodded. She was still young and beautiful. She could be sold again. All Mestronian slaves were trained to come back to Mestronia should they ever be thrown out of their master's homes or should their master die. All other possessions of the man would be divided up between siblings or children, but the right of ownership for Mestronian slaves went, legally, back to Berihn. Too bad for Winthrone. He had wanted one of the elite slaves all his life. Then, when he finally got one, he had her for only a short time before dying. At least he had her for those few days.  
  
Phrostfern returned a short while later and picked up the candle, signaling without words that the room was ready and she would take them to it. Berihn picked up Ebonis, who was very dear to him, and carried her through the empty corridors to place her slumbering form on a pallet in the quarter of his own private chambers. Reserved especially for slaves such as Ebonis. Giving her one last smile, he closed the door. There was something else he had to do now. Poor Ebonis, he thought as his pen scratched out a message on the dry parchment. She was already sold once again. Only this time it was not a kindly old gentleman who wanted possession of her, but a madman.   
  
Before dawn, he summoned Deseray who was the slave who carried messages to nearby cities. She was a tall girl, most of that height being legs, which enabled her to run far distances easily. Besides this, she was the only one who knew about Rezo. By the time the sky was glowing with the sun's glory, she was well on her way to Kinos.   
  
Ebonis was already awake when Berihn slipped into her room. She had been lying on her pallet studying the stone ceiling until she heard him enter, then she immediately dropped into the appropriate kneeling stance.   
  
"Good morning, daughter," he greeted her.  
  
"And the same to you, master." He closed the distance between them, reaching down for her hands to raise her up.   
  
"I am no longer your master. You have been sold." Disappointment shone in her eyes. She had been hoping to stay with him for a little time at least. He had hoped the same. Why did she have to be the one who returned first? It seemed so unfair. As custom he tried not to fall in love with his slaves, but this one was different. "Don't look so sad. You'll be taken care of."  
  
"Yes master."  
  
"Listen. I'm going to give you something. Should you ever be made an outcast by your new master, or should he die, I am giving you your freedom." Her eyes shone with gratitude. Though there was something else she wanted. "And if you so choose you may return to me and I will always accept you into my home."   
  
"Thank you," she hesitated, not knowing what to call him now that he wasn't her master anymore and she was as good as free.   
  
"Berihn," he offered her permission to use his name.  
  
"Berihn," she repeated looking at him. Then immediately looking down, embarrassed.   
  
"Your new master will be here soon. Is there anything that you need before you leave?" She shook her head, eyes still downcast. "Then I shall leave you for whatever preparation you might require." He bowed to her, but it took all his will to leave her alone. His honor denied him to lie and wait for another slave to return. Yet he wished that it had been anyone but Ebonis to come back first. The thought of her with Rezo was a painful thing to dwell on.  
  
A short time later Deseray appeared in the main entry hall with the Red Priest following quickly behind. He wore the same sarcastic smile that he always did, but there was something more to him this time. The sense of eagerness that surrounded him was incredible. Though why he was so anxious to have his slave was beyond Berihn. Probably because he himself was too reluctant to let her leave.  
  
"Welcome Rezo," he tried to keep the sorrow from his voice. The Priest gave him a short stiff bow.   
  
"Where is she?" He asked immediately, as if unable to wait any longer. Berihn snapped his fingers and Ebonis stepped to take her place in front of her new master for his inspection. He reached out and stroked her hair, tracing her features with his hand. Suddenly, he hissed and drew back.  
  
"She is not to your liking?" Berihn asked hopefully. If she wasn't what he was looking for then she could stay at Mestronia. Rezo turned thoughtful reaching out again to touch the slave he had already paid for.   
  
"Perhaps," the blind man drew out the word. "Perhaps she may be of use to me. Yes, I think she will. She will do." Berihn's hopes fell. He should have known better than to let them rise in the first place. "But she is not what I was expecting." Another pouch was handed to Berihn. "I need a different sort of girl as well. A girl with hair the color of silver blue moonlight and cobalt eyes. She's left handed if that's helpful."  
  
"Very." Though he was getting more confused by the minute. He had already given the man a slave like that. Had she run away from him? No, of course not, Mestronian slaves didn't do that. Then what had happened to her? Meleyal, that's who he wanted, but why? Something was up and he was a part of it now. "I shall send for you when she arrives." The sage seemed pretty sure that she would come, and it seemed he was expecting her very soon. This whole situation was getting a little too strange for Berihn, yet he was already too involved to get out at this point.  
  
"Don't bother. Just send her to the Towerwest in Sairaag. It will save us all time."  
  
"Very well then." Ebonis gave him a searching sad look. He smiled and held out his hands to her.   
  
"Serve him well," he told her as a good-bye.  
  
"I will." He nodded, releasing her, then turned to Rezo again.  
  
"Her name --" Berihn volunteered but was cut off.  
  
"Is Eris." Eris? The word meant wrath, it wasn't a proper name. Still, as her new master he had the right to call her whatever he pleased. Without so much as a bow, he turned on his heel walking out of the building. Ebonis, Eris now, gave one last look at Berihn, then obediently trotted after.  
  
As they walked together in silence Rezo was cursing himself for a fool. He had been so secure in the fact that she would be the first to return. Dilgear had not killed Zelgadis yet. He would have to have a talk with the man beast, a very serious one. He hadn't even thought what could have happened had someone else come back first. There was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, he could use the girl. He sensed in her a great energy. Energy that he could use for his own means.  
  
"Eris," he called her from behind him since he despised being followed. He would rather have a companion at his side, than a slave where he couldn't sense her presence. "Are you frightened?"  
  
"No, master."   
  
"I would rather you call me Lord Rezo, and you have permission to speak as you like."  
  
"My thanks, Lord Rezo."  
  
"As of now you are my partner in this undertaking. I need your trust and your complete cooperation. Will you agree to that?"  
  
"Of course." It took all of her will not to add the appellation.  
  
"Very well then. Listen closely." His arm encircled her waist as he began to explain what he had in mind. "You, my poor child, are human. You cannot remain as you are if you are to succeed in what I have planned for you. I am going to have to alter your physical characteristics so you will be strong enough for your task." She winced and hoped that he wouldn't sense the slight tightening of her muscles. "That will have to wait until we reach our destination. Until then. ." he trailed off because there really was no point in finishing the sentence.   
  
"Lord Rezo?" She tested her new found ability to speak as she pleased.  
  
"Yes child?" He seemed a gentle enough man. His voice was very soft and soothing. She wondered why Berihn feared him so.  
  
"If I was not what you expected, then why did you take me?" His pace slowed as he pondered how to answer.  
  
"Because I can use you in her place. You have the energy level required for the task I have planned."  
  
"So why do you still need her?"  
  
"For an assassination." However cryptic the words were they were all that he was going to say to her on the subject. That was all that was going to be said altogether. After this brief talk, the priest fell to silent brooding that Eris decided not to interrupt. She would be told all that she needed to know, and that would have to suffice.  
  
  



	8. Eris' Transformation

Chapter 8: Eris' Transformation  
  
Kinos, to a girl who has seen little of the world, was a magnificent sight. It was not a very big town, but very beautifully designed. It's houses were covered in greenery that climbed up to the very roof. It's streets were paved with smooth stones, and all of them came together at the center house. The house of the elder who supervised the law, no doubt. All around that house was a vast plaza, filled with outdoor shops and people. Eris clung to Rezo's robe so she would not get lost in the multitude, drinking in all the sights of the new surroundings. She suddenly felt sorry for her new master as she realized that he could not see any of it. Rezo led her to the northern section of the village. In that part, there were not as many people and it had a quiet cheerful feeling about it. The tall priest ducked into an inn where he was welcomed heartily by the stout innkeeper.   
  
"Good eve, my lord," he said as he bowed repeatedly.  
  
"And to you, good sir."  
  
"What may I do for you?"  
  
"I desire a room for my slave and myself."   
  
"Easily done. Come." How Rezo knew where the man was going, Eris could not tell. She gathered that perhaps he could hear his footsteps, but she wasn't entirely certain. It did not matter, she decided, how he did it. The point was that he did it. They followed the man up a flight of steep stairs and down a corridor to where their room was located. Rezo stepped inside and walked about a bit to check if it was what he had asked for. When he had completed his circuit he nodded to the man who still stood in the doorway, waiting.  
  
"It will do."  
  
"Dinner will be served in the common room at sunset," the innkeeper informed him before turning to leave.  
  
"Good sir, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I ask that a loaf of bread and a pitcher of cold water be brought up at that time." The man raised an eyebrow at the request, then shrugged.  
  
"If my lord wishes," was all he said as he began walking back down the stairs. Rezo nodded at the closing door then turned back inside.   
  
"Eris," he called out. "Where are you?"   
  
"Here lord," she replied, putting a hand on his arm.  
  
"I need you to do something." He rummaged in his cloak until he found what he was looking for. He handed her a scrap of parchment and a bit of chalk. Confused she just looked at the items in her hands. "I need you to draw that on the floor within this boundary." He circled the boundary with his staff while she paid close attention. Then he stood back out of her way, waiting for her to do as he had commanded. Still a bit bewildered she unfolded the parchment, knelt on the wooden floor, and began to draw. She was unfamiliar with what the symbols meant, but she knew what she was doing. He had commanded her to make a magic circle. She was drawing him the means to alter her physical being. The thought chilled her, but she kept on. By the time she had finished she was trembling with anticipation. Silently she pressed the chalk and parchment back into her master's hand.  
  
"Now child," he began as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. "You must be calm. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"I can try, lord, but what are you going to do?"  
  
"Trust me. Go and stand in the center of the circle." Swallowing hard, she did as she was told. When she was in place, Rezo began to chant. The words had no meaning for her but she listened intently anyway. The symbols she had drawn on the wood began to glow, first a pale gold and finally ending up crimson. She forced her breathing to slow, trying to remain calm as he had said to. All at once she felt a presence bearing down on her skull as though it were trying to break into it. Involuntarily she grabbed at her head attempting to shake the force away, but it just came stronger. In the end, she succumbed to it and allowed it to fill her being, become a part of her. Power welled up in her with such incredible force that she dropped to her knees. Power and knowledge. Such knowledge. All at once she felt invincible. No one could harm her, no one could come near her. Just as abruptly as it had come it all departed and she was just Eris once again. The burning crimson that had flooded her vision and mind died down until it was only chalk dust scrawled on the floor. Panting, she collapsed on the comfortable wood and closed her eyes.   
  
When she opened them again the sun was just a flash of blood red light streaking in the only window. How long had she been asleep? She raised her head only to find that it had been resting on her master's lap and he was sitting on the only chair in the room. He cupped the side of her face with one hand and smiled down at her. She felt a burst of affection for this man so strongly it almost hurt, and the fact that it almost hurt was wonderful.   
  
"How do you feel?" He asked her as he stroked a few fingers along her cheek. She had to think about the question. She felt fine, but different somehow. In fact, she felt. .  
  
"Nothing, lord. I feel nothing." He chuckled a bit at her answer.  
  
"No I suppose you wouldn't."  
  
"Please, what did you do?"  
  
"I have merged your body with that of another creature." Oddly, that statement did not strike the fear that it once would have. "You are now one half demon. All of your physical abilities are the same, but the demon now controls your emotions and half of your mental powers." No wonder there was no fear in her now. The demon would have nothing to fear. The demon. "It will help you in the upcoming battle that we will have to fight. You will not be held back by any sympathy, and sympathy would be deadly in this war." She only half heard him. She was still trying to feel something. Anything, but it seemed she could not. There were only two things that she could recognize. Love for her master, and hate for anything that would oppose her master. There was simply nothing else there, and she did not even have enough emotion to be surprised that there was nothing else there, even though the half of her mental being that she still had control over said that she should.  
  
A knock on the door pulled her from her musings. It was the inkeep with the loaf of bread and pitcher of water. She took both with a muttered thanks, and closed the door quickly behind her. Gently she set them down on the desk near her master before kneeling once again at his feet.  
  
"The bread is yours child. I advise that you eat it." It was only then that she realized that she was starving. Grateful that he had thought of this beforehand, she tore into the bread. It was filling enough, but her new demon instincts were filling her mind with bloodlust despite her attempts to shake the thoughts away. Rezo seemed to sense what she was thinking. "You will be able to hunt once we get out of the city. In the meantime, this will have to do." She nodded swallowing a mouthful of water to rinse the dry bread from her throat.  
  
"Now child," he said once she was finished. "We must wash the circle from the floor. I doubt that the inkeeper would be pleased to find it here, and besides, they are dangerous to just leave unattended." Taking the rest of the water, she made quick work of the chalk dust and soon all trace of any magical happenings was wiped up in the washcloth. When she was finished she knelt again near Rezo, longing for his presence. He patted her head fondly as he stood from his chair. He beckoned her to one of the beds and she lay down on it.   
  
"Sleep Eris," he commanded. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow." She curled up and closed her eyes.  
  
Nodding to himself, Rezo felt about the room with his staff until he came across the desk. There was a candle on it somewhere. With one hand he traced a path above it until he could feel the heat of the fire. He leaned toward it and blew it out. There was no need for it any longer now that Eris was asleep. Taking off his cloak with one hand and leaning his staff against the wall with the other, he took deep breaths to prepare himself for what he was about to do. He was already beginning the connection with Dilgear when he laid himself down on the other bed.  
  
In his mind, he could see the scene. The shadowed darkness of a forest and Dilgear in a curled mass of fur. At his master's approach the creature raised his head to regard him.  
  
"Have you neglected to tell me something Dilgear?" Was his first question. Watching the monster squirm in discomfort was quite satisfying, though the reason why he was uncomfortable was infuriating. He sighed. "Where is Zelgadis now?"  
  
"He is on the road to Materon still, my lord."  
  
"Materon? There is nothing in Materon."  
  
"Still, that is where he is headed."  
  
"But why is he still alive?"  
  
"And how exactly did you think I was going to kill him? All I have is my teeth and my sword. Those do not do well against stone."  
  
"Zelgadis can be killed. All it takes is a moment of rational thought. Now think, Dilgear, there are other ways of killing than what you have described. No matter, if you meet up with him in Materon I will send you some help. Then you must find the stone and bring it to me."  
  
"Yes lord."  
  
"Also, where is his slave?"  
  
"Of her whereabouts I have no knowledge. The old man took her and the sorcerer somewhere else the night Zelgadis escaped." That was odd. Zelgadis had not taken her with him? Why not? That shouldn't matter. If Zelgadis was killed then she would return to Mestronia. Still, he would rather know where she was.  
  
"Very well then. Catch him in Materon tomorrow. I do not want him to live through another sunset."  
  
"Yes lord." With that, Rezo returned to his body. Zelgadis must be killed. He was the only one who could interfere with Rezo's plan now. He must not be allowed to get the Stone. If he did, Rezo had no chance. Also, if he was not killed then Rezo would never get the girl that was imperative to his scheme. But if he was to be killed then Dilgear would need some help. That must wait until the next day. At the moment, he was too tired from his traveling to Dilgear and his transformation of Eris to do much of anything in the magical field. Besides, conjuring up a demon to merge with Eris was one thing. Conjuring up a monster was something else entirely, and not something that should be done within the confines of an inn. It would just have to wait. Still planning, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
It was Eris who woke him even though she herself was still asleep. She would take a few days before she was completely used to the transformation that had taken place. As for the time being, she felt compelled to be as close to him as she could get since the demon attachment to him was so strong. In her sleep she had allowed the demon to take over all of her mental capabilities as well as her emotional. As she slept, she had slipped off the bed and crawled over to where he was. One hand reached up to hold onto his robe, and that gentle touch was what woke him that morning. He started but relaxed as he realized what was happening. Then he raised his hand to trace the features of her face, waking her up. Her smile played under his fingertips and he favored her with one of his own. He even admitted to himself that he was actually growing fond of her.   
  
They made their preparations to leave, paid the inkeeper, and were soon on their way to Sairaag, the holy city. Although Eris now understood many things of magic that she hadn't before, Rezo still had something he needed to teach her if his plan was to work. And the means by which he must teach her were hidden within his laboratory, located in the old abandoned part of the city.  
  
Once they were a few miles from Kinos, Rezo stopped. Eris watched him intently as he raised his staff high with both hands then brought it down with a great clang. The clang reverberated, though there was nothing for it to reverberate off of, and remained upright even after her master had taken his hands away. She slipped as far away from it as she could as it began to radiate with light. A conduit shot straight up, and inside that conduit of light was a shadowy form. It was to this form that Rezo bowed humbly, and the monster inside acknowledged slightly.  
  
"I present to you two tasks that must be completed," Rezo said in a soft voice of stone.   
  
"Ask as you will," the shimmering voice within the pillar of light answered.  
  
"First and foremost, you must retrieve the Philosopher Stone, and then there is a matter of treachery. As your kind enjoys human suffering above all else I assume this will be a pleasure for you to accomplish. I ask that you kill the traitor Zelgadis, only do not waste too much time with him."  
  
"I'll make sure we're both satisfied."  
  
"You will meet up with Dilgear outside of Materon tomorrow." With those words the conduit vanished abruptly and the reverberation echoed one final time. Eris was confused, and marvelous it was to know that she could feel such a thing as confusion. Then, as she focused a moment, she knew what it was that had just happened. Her master had summoned a monster, a pure bred monster, to help Dilgear in the fight that would take place in Materon. All well and good, now if she could only get the hang of her demon knowledge, for demon knowledge it must have been for she knew nothing of conduits and monsters and magic. Not only must she learn just to have the access to this knowledge whenever she needed it, but make it one of her memories.  
  
"Eris?" Her master called, holding out his hand for her. She came forward to take it.  
  
"Here I am, lord."  
  
"Did you see what just happened?"  
  
"Yes lord."  
  
"Did you understand what just happened?"  
  
"I think so lord." He squeezed her hand affectionately.  
  
"Very good, my child, very good." She beamed at the praise. He released his grip on her hand and took up his staff, the smile gone from his face. "Come now, I'd like to get some distance behind us before we must stop for the night." He walked ahead a few paces while she just stared at him. Such a wonderful man, a wonderful powerful man. Eris was unsure of whether it was just the demon that was so drawn to him. The more she thought of it, the more she was certain that it was truly her who loved the man so much. Smiling at herself, she rushed ahead to take his hand in a brave action that won her a smile instead of a reprimand, and together they walked off towards Rezo's laboratory in far off Sairaag.  
  
Zel stared in impatience and more than a little annoyance at the pile of fish Lina had placed on a mat of leaves. He stood with his arms folded, waiting and watching with growing irritance as yet another fish was thrown carelessly to the top of the heap.  
  
"Lina," he growled, closing his eyes as if that would help him gather whatever patience he had left. "Don't you think we have enough?" She didn't even turn her attention from her fishing line that she had constructed hurriedly out of one of her own hairs.  
  
"We still need a few more. Since yesterday all we've done is fight Rezo's attackers and we haven't had anything to eat and I'm starved." She put enough emphasis on her words that Zel knew he wouldn't win the argument, even if he used force.  
  
"Let's be quick then. We have to get to Materon by nightfall."  
  
"So you've been saying all morning."  
  
"And which you've been ignoring." As her response she tossed one last fish on the pile. Zel was beginning to wonder if she were doing this on purpose just to annoy him. As he lifted a hand to pass it wearily before his eyes, he caught a slight stirring of brush too loud to have been moved by the breeze. In what seemed it was one fluid motion, he leaped from the stream's edge, grabbing Lina on the way despite her protests, and crouched on the opposite bank.  
  
"What's the big idea?"  
  
"We have a few uninvited dinner guests."  
  
"Again?"   
  
"Watch out!" He shoved her head down as one of their assailants launched a stone. It fell harmlessly behind them.   
  
"Okay, the whole attacking bit is getting really old," Lina cried as she stood. Zel thought it wiser not to interfere with her this time as she might mistake him in her rage. Therefore, he just watched as she cupped her hands to gather the power for a spell.  
  
"Fire," she drawled out the word as she raised her hands. "Ball!" Zel was immediately impressed. There was enough power in that one fireball to encompass all of Rezo's trolls and burn them to ash faster than their healing abilities could manage to keep up with. Perhaps she was a better sorceress than he had estimated after all.   
  
"The old magic's back," she shouted as she lifted her arm in triumph.  
  
"So it would appear," he stood next to her as they watched the last embers grow cold.   
  
"All right," she clapped her hands. "Now it's lunchtime. Where are those fish?"  
  
"Over there." He pointed across the stream at the blackened pile.  
  
"They're. . .they're burnt to a crisp!"  
  
"It would seem that they were incinerated by the fireball." Lina hunched over in disappointment as another team of assailants made themselves known behind them. "And now the berserkers have arrived." A few birds took flight at the sharpness of Lina's exasperated cry.   
  
Zel understood her frustration. Fighting troll after berserker did get rather tedious. Rezo was only sending them to slow Zel down and tire him out. At least he would meet up with Rodimus at Materon. He just had to get there. He sighed as he watched Lina gather her power for another spell.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, Gourry was on the ground staring up a sword blade at a girl he knew he had seen at least once.   
  
"Stay still," she commanded in a hiss. Then she whistled to someone unseen as she watched him intently. It was at this moment he remembered who she was. Zelgadis' slave. If she was here then he couldn't be far away, and that meant Lina was closeby as well. The tall white haired man that he had fought the day he had been separated from Lina came up to the slave from somewhere in the trees.  
  
"Well done, my girl," he told her as he regarded Gourry. "Your master will be pleased when we meet up with him. You, good sir, will be accompanying us to Materon."  
  
"Very well," he said. He might as well go along with them since they would lead him right to Lina. "You'll have no trouble from me."  
  
"Let's keep it that way." The girl allowed him to rise, but kept a sharp watch on his every move, her sword poised. They joined with another man that Gourry did not recognize, and made their way west.  
  
Meleyal resisted the urge to just run the last few miles. Rodimus had already told her that they would surely reach the city before her master since he would have several interferences with his travel along the way. Still, she wanted to get there as soon as possible. The sun was just touching the treetops marking the end of the third day. It was almost over. Everything was almost done. Now that she had Gourry, it could all be finished. If he did not have the Stone in his possession then he knew where it was. She decided not to press the matter though. She would leave that to her master's cunning.  
  
Her master. Again she had to fight the temptation to rush on ahead. Forcing herself to be patient. It was only a few more miles. They would be there in plenty of time. Still, she felt as though she should be there already.  
  
"Rodimus," she called to the old man. "I am going ahead."  
  
"There is no point in that," he told her.  
  
"Still. ."  
  
"All right, get out of here, but you won't find anything once you get there except an abandoned city." She gave him her best smile before sprinting off.  
  
"I don't care!" She cried over her shoulder as she sprinted ahead through the trees, pressing on her hilt so it wouldn't get caught in her legs. The freedom of running was incredible, and she savored it for as long as she could. What made it even better was that when she finally reached her goal, her master would be there waiting for her. She knew that as surely as she knew where she was going. He would be there. He was there already.  
  
"I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I want to take a bath," Lina whined in a coarse voice behind him. He sighed and looked upward as if inquiring the assistance of some divine power.   
  
"Can you walk without talking?" He asked her trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.  
  
"I thought there'd at least be someplace to stay and someplace to eat when we got here, but it's totally deserted. It's a ghost town." He clenched and unclenched his hands.  
  
"It's been ten years since this place was inhabited," he told her even though she should have known that piece of history anyway. She gave a frustrated sigh and hunched a little more. He really had to give her a little bit of a break. She had been fighting just as much as he had, and she was only a human. She was tired and had every right to be so. There was just one thing he didn't understand. Why did she have to be so loud when she was tired?  
  
"And now," she kept on. "No matter where we go those guys always find us anyway." He stopped short and winced as she ran into his back.   
  
"I'm afraid that's because of me." She raised an eyebrow. "You see, my body was created by Rezo's magic. I have the same scent he does and his trolls can easily detect it. Rezo can locate me anytime he desires." She sighed again, clutching to a slender fallen branch she had found on the road and now used as a walking staff.  
  
"I get it," she said, quietly for once. "No wonder we've been leading the goon parade lately."  
  
"Yes, quite right."  
  
"So they'll find us no matter where we go."  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"Meaning we might as well get this over with, and do it right this time." She stood up straight with only minor difficulty and cast her branch aside. "We're not going to leave any of them alive to follow us." The ominous tone said that she could and had every intention of doing just as she had said.   
  
"Dilgear!" She yelled, but there was no response. "Cowardly man-beast, I know you're there and we're going to finish this thing!" Zel stepped close to her, eyes scanning the remains of Materon for movement.  
  
"Be careful not to use all your energy at once," he warned softly. "I'm sure Dilgear is not alone." Just at that moment, the object of conversation appeared on the roof of a building closeby. The setting sun outlining him in shadow. With an impressive leap, he was standing in front of them brandishing his sword. Behind him, came a quad of trolls. Lina pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing deeply, and Zel felt like doing the same. However, that would not do to let Dilgear see how tired he was  
  
"Lovely to see you again, Zelgadis," the creature snarled. Zel narrowed his eyes, waiting for the first strike. Considering the last fight they had, Dilgear seemed very confident in his sword. Surely, he couldn't have forgotten that it would do no good on him, unless, of course, Rezo had done something to the blade.   
  
"Zel," Lina whispered staring at the unmoving enemy. "Let's split up." He nodded, knowing that the trolls would go after her and he would be left to face Dilgear alone and uninterrupted. "Ready? Go!" She released a spell into the ground lifting a great cloud of dust. Zel took the opportunity to leap up and run on the rooftops. It would be much faster that way. What he hoped to accomplish by running was so that Rodimus would have that much more time to reach him. Then they could defeat him together. Hurry Rodimus, he prayed as he jumped from roof to roof, I need you.  
  
  
  



	9. The Materon Battle

Chapter 9: The Materon Battle  
  
Meleyal stopped short as she reached the outer walls of the abandoned city. Above the wall she could see the glowing levitating form of. . .what was that thing anyway. It was shrouded in a cloak, but it looked vaguely human. Cowering in front of it was Lina. They were already here! Lina sent a fireball at the thing, engulfing it in flames. Since she seemed to be doing fine on her own, Meleyal ran inside and ducked behind a building, searching for her master.   
  
Zel had been wrong. Both Dilgear and the trolls were running on the ground beneath him. Then where was Lina? Risking running right off a roof, he glanced upward to see her also on a roof. She tripped over a chimney and gazed upward in hate at the flaming monster above her. Rezo had sent a monster. Most likely to retrieve the Stone and kill him. Meaning he had to kill Dilgear and quick, before the monster made an end to Lina and came after him. The idea of facing both the werewolf and a monster was not appealing. As tired as he was, it would be the end of him. The sorceress was going to die. He only wished that she could buy him a little time before she was killed. She didn't even have the Stone. There was no way she could defeat a monster because it didn't have a body to kill. Since monsters had spirit bodies the only way she might win was if she cast a Shaumanist spell, but such magic was not known to her. If only he could get over there, he might be able to save her. He, however, had his own problems. He leaped from the roof, but the thatch caved in under him when he reached it and he fell into the dark.  
  
Landing in a crouch, he flared his cloak out sending the remains of the roof scattering. He rose just as Dilgear's trolls entered the shadowed building. This had to be quick. He could get rid of the trolls with one fireball, if he gathered enough power. Closing his eyes in concentration for one deadly moment, he collected all his energy for the only shot he had. As the trolls were reduced to ash, he began to wonder why he had always thought them worthy adversaries. Their healing abilities really were of no use when they were killed so swiftly. Yet it wasn't quite over, and his energy was just about exhausted. Forcing himself to remain upright, he stepped neatly over the pile of smoking ash. Dilgear took a pace backward, bringing up one arm for protection.   
  
"What kind of monster are you?" He asked Zel in an incredulous tone.  
  
"You're the last one who should be calling anyone a monster," Zel responded as he drew his sword. "Let's. . . let's finish this." His calm was beginning to wilter under his exhaustion. This was not going to be easy, and now Dilgear knew exactly what state his opponent was in. A smile creeped over his muzzle, revealing his fangs as he listened to Zel's stutter. Zel took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly to clear it. Why had the trolls come after him? He could have taken Dilgear alone, but not know. It was over for him.  
  
A hand tapped her shoulder, causing her to whirl around in surprise. "Gourry!" She cried when she recognized the blonde swordsman. "How did you get here?"   
  
"I decided running ahead with you was the better alternative to getting here too late. The old man wasn't pleased when I slipped away from them, but he'll just have to deal with it. Where's Lina?" Of course he wanted to save Lina as badly as she wanted to help her master. Him here, however, presented a problem. If he found Lina they would more than likely flee and then the search for the Stone would begin all over again. She couldn't let him get away, and yet she had no choice. Before she could answer the question about the sorceress' location, the giant had sprinted off in search for her himself. If only she had forced him to give her the Stone before, then it wouldn't have mattered if he got away or not. The explosion brought her from worrying over how stupid she was. Drawing her courage, she leaped onto the nearest steady looking roof so she could see what was going on. She gasped at what came into view. Her master, swaying a bit, but holding his sword up stubbornly, preparing for a confrontation with the werewolf. Crouching low so she wouldn't be seen, she made her way towards them over the rooftops, hoping that neither of them would look up and notice her creeping form.   
  
His pride would not allow him to be beaten, but his body would not allow him to use the strength he needed to win. Truly, there would be no shame in his death, but he had no desire to die. It was inevitable now. Rezo would win just because he had pressed himself to perform for too long. Panting, he grabbed at a rain barrel to the right of the door to at least keep him on his feet for the final stroke. His sword still pointing towards Dilgear in a feeble attempt of keeping his fighting stance. He was awful shaky, but if he was going to die, he would die with his honor intact.  
  
The quasi wolf smiled and advanced one step, but that was all the closer to Zel he ever got. A black blur leaped between them, its sword blazing with the glory of the setting sun. It was Jaylin. In his surprise, he almost lost his grip on the barrel. Where was Rodimus? Surely, he would be here as well, but the grizzled warrior was no where in sight. Jaylin was going to face Dilgear all alone with only a sword, and there was nothing he could do to help. She was good, and she was small. Those were the only things she could use in her defense now.  
  
Dilgear was caught off guard by her sudden appearance as well, though he recovered much more quickly than Zel. Raising to his hind legs, he towered over her. He wasted no time in lunging at her, causing Zel to gasp. Almost involuntarily, he cried out to her in caution, even though she couldn't hear in the following clash of sword blades. She shoved Dilgear away from her with surprising strength for such a small thing. Her blade clasped tightly in both hands, she attacked, remaining absolutely silent as she did so. The next few moments of battle were not watched by the chimera, whose eyes were closed in prayer. He only heard the clashing blades, and the occasional grunt from Dilgear until the piercing scream tore though the advancing night. The high pitched scream that came from a dying throat that also tore though his heart. He stiffened, unable to open his eyes to see the outcome of the heavily unfair match. Torn between not wanting to know, and needing to see, he finally unclosed his eyes. Jaylin was there, standing over the fallen Dilgear who had been killed so quickly even his troll half could not heal him fast enough to keep him from losing his life. She knelt with no expression on her face to wipe her sword clean on his shabby tunic.   
  
Two more shadows stepped up to her. Zolf and Rodimus had finally arrived. They had been too late, but that did not matter. Jaylin had won. They were all there, and they were all right. Only then did he realize that he was shaking badly and about to black out from shock and exhaustion, but in his relief he didn't care. As the welcomed darkness shrouded him, his last conscious thought was that Jaylin was at his side as it should always be.  
  
Meleyal had never killed anyone before in her life, yet oddly it was not as disturbing as she had thought it should be. The blade had been alive in her hands, and it seemed that it had not even been her who had given the final stroke. It was as though she were seeing through another's eyes. Besides, the werewolf was against her master and therefore deserved to die. Allowing a cold smile to steal possession of her lips, she turned to her master as she sheathed the cleansed blade. Her eyebrows drew together and she rushed over to him. He was shaking and his eyes looked down at the ground, not focusing on anything in particular. As she drew near, she had no time to check for injuries, only enough time to catch him as his knees folded under him. She wondered when he had last slept.  
  
"Here," Rodimus' gruff voice sounded right behind her followed by a touch on her shoulder. He reached for her master's unconscious form which she relinquished only because she knew she could never carry him. Yet she stayed near, hovering close to keep an eye on him.  
  
"There you are," came an oddly, but not unpleasantly, cheerful feminine voice. Meleyal looked up to see Lina shrouded with the last of the sun, and Gourry at her side. They had not run away after all. There was something wrong with that. They had the perfect chance to just leave, yet they had come back. Why? "I'd thought you had. . . what happened?" The girl cut her statement short to rush over to Rodimus. Her gloved fingers tracing a line down the chimera's face. "Is he all right?" There, Meleyal thought, is the reason why they have not left. Lina wanted to stay with her master.  
  
"Yes," Meleyal almost snapped the answer to her question, feeling very possessive all of a sudden. "He'll be fine once he gets some rest." Lina gave the slave a puzzled look before inspecting their surroundings.  
  
"Well, we might as well stay here for the night. Since he managed to kill Dilgear and Gourry killed that monster, I'd say we should be safe from any further attacks for a while. Now all we need is a sturdy enough building. Come on." Taking charge, the sorceress led them a little ways before finding a suitable place for the band to stay for the night. Zolf and Gourry started a blaze in the middle of the dirt floor with what had been left of the wooden furniture, then departed in search for enough that could keep the fire going all night. Meleyal spread her cloak on the floor near the flames, then had Rodimus place her master's form on it with his head cradled in her lap. Lina sat beside her to peer down at the stone face.  
  
"He's shaking," she observed.  
  
"Yes I know," Meleyal tucked his cloak tighter about him for Lina's benefit. She knew he was not shaking from cold.  
  
"You're his slave?" Lina went on, still looking at the Shaumanist.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Mestronian?"  
  
"Of course." She nodded as though she had known the answer the whole time, but if she had why had she bothered to ask in the first place.  
  
"What does he call you?" She had to think about that. He never actually called her anything.  
  
"He calls me child, but my name is Meleyal." She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Rodimus wince at the name as he fussed over polishing his sword.  
  
"Meleyal? You're named after the angel of autumn?"  
  
"That was what my first master told me." She knew it wasn't her given name, but she had almost given up trying to recall that bit of forgotten past. In her lap, Master turned to his side and brought his knees to his chest. She winced as she sensed what was about to happen and began stroking his coarse hair in a futile attempt to prevent it. He moaned softly under her fingers.  
  
"First master?" Lina's voice brought her attention back to the fiery haired sorceress. "You're only a Black. How could you possibly have had more than one?"  
  
"My first master was the one who taught me. That is the way of it." She turned her eyes back down as her master began muttering incoherently. She felt for his shoulder and gave it a slight reassuring squeeze. Please, she begged, just leave him alone for this one night.  
"Are you sure he's okay?" Line questioned suspiciously.  
  
"He will be. He's caught in a nightmare, I'm afraid."  
  
"Nightmare?" Everyone in the house jumped and Lina's question was drowned out in a sharp cry of pain. He shuddered violently, and Meleyal wrapped her arms about him in a vain attempt of keeping him still so he wouldn't injure himself. She bent her head over him so he could hear her, and began to sing. The song she had sung so many times in Mestronia. The song that had brought her comfort through the darkness. He paused, muscles tense and panting as though he were listening intently to the tune. Gradually, he relaxed and his breathing slowed on towards sleep. A deep calm renewing sleep that would leave him restored.   
  
"Thank the Light," Meleyal breathed as he shifted into a more comfortable position in her arms.   
  
"Is he all right now?"  
  
"For the time being." Not that she had any idea how it worked, but Lina didn't have to know that she didn't know. For reasons she knew perfectly well, but didn't dare admit even to herself, she did not appreciate the sorceress' company.   
  
The wizard and Gourry returned saving Meleyal from future conversation with Lina. The giant swordsman immediately sat down at the girl's side as soon as he had helped Zolf stack the salvaged wood in a corner. Meleyal knew he was not paid for the position, yet they did not seem to be lovers either. She wasn't exactly clear on what their relationship was, but however it worked, it was strong. Together they slipped away from the others into their own corner of the building.   
  
Once Meleyal was by herself Rodimus came over to sit next to her while she sensed that Zolf was leaning against the wall behind her. One presence was comforting, while the other made her uneasy.  
  
"What are we to do with them?" The old man asked her in a low pitched voice concealed from unwanted ears by the crackling of the flames.  
  
"You're asking me?" She replied just as softly. She was, after all, only a slave. "This is not a matter for me." Rodimus nodded downward at the sleeping chimera.  
  
"You know his mind better than any of us. You know what he would do."  
  
"I say we get rid of them as fast as we can," Zolf's whispering hiss sifted down to her ears, and normally she would have agreed. Yet they were two more fighters, and somehow Meleyal knew that the fighting was not finished. Dilgear may have been dead, but Rezo was still out there somewhere. And he still wanted both the Stone and her master killed.  
  
"Normally, I'd say the magician's plan was the best," she said, twisting the word magician just enough to emphasize that he was not as much of a sorcerer as he usually claimed. "However, we might have use of them in the near future when we finally meet up with the Red Priest."  
  
"They won't follow us," Zolf argued still with his sarcastic hissing tone.  
  
"You're right. They won't, but he follows her, and she follows my master."  
  
"How can you be sure of that?"  
  
"Just because your loyalty means nothing doesn't indicate that hers is the same, magician."  
  
"She's never sworn to anything."  
  
"If she were going to run away, she would have done it by now. She had her chance, yet she stayed. What explanation do you have for that?" He never answered her. He never said another word to her. He just walked away to brood alone, as always.  
  
"So she can be trusted you think?" Rodimus asked once the magician was out of earshot.  
  
"Yes, she is not our enemy here. Besides, we'll need her and her guardian very soon I think."  
  
"She'll stay through the night?"  
  
"She's not going anywhere. Even if she does, we'll just be right after her and she knows that. Just don't worry about her. She'll follow him where ever he goes."  
  
"Or is it the other way around?" Her gaze snapped up from studying her master and the fire in that gaze was enough for the warrior to leave well enough alone. With hands up defensively he rose to leave her by herself. He had risen an interesting point though. Was it truly her master that was the follower? Perhaps for more than the obvious reason of Lina having possession of the Stone? She had told him that she did not love him, but now that she actually thought about it she might just have been wrong. Cursing herself for a fool she lowered her head over her master's and tried to fall asleep.  
  
It was her master who woke her the next morning well before dawn. He twisted from her embrace in the semi light of the coming aurora.  
  
"Child," he shook her, but she was already awake. Quickly, she knelt before him, waiting for his instruction. "Rise, I would speak with you."  
  
"As pleases you master."   
  
"How badly have I disgraced myself?"  
  
"You have not disgraced yourself master." He narrowed an eye at her response, weighing her words to see if she were telling the truth. At last, his features relaxed. He trusted her, yet she knew that he was ashamed for what had happened the previous day. To have her fight a battle that was meant for him was a large embarrassment that was difficult for him to deal with. He looked at her and sighed deeply.  
  
"You did well yesterday," he complimented though it took all his will to say it. "Though I wish that it had not been necessary."  
  
"Thank you master." He shrugged.  
  
"Lina still has the Stone?"  
  
"I would assume thus master. I never took it from her."  
  
"We'll have to get it from her. I regret involving her in this and I would just as rather I didn't have to keep her involved." Meleyal's heart jumped. He didn't love her. What a marvelous thought. However, as much as she hated it, she knew that they would need the sorceress.  
  
"Master?" She whispered, her elation that he didn't love Lina only half suppressing the fear of giving him her opinion. "Might I make a suggestion?" She had surprised him, that was for sure, but there was no anger in his eyes.  
  
"Of course, child. Of course. What is it?"  
  
"She's a sorceress, and he is a swordsman. Perhaps they could be of use to you? We have Rezo to fight, and having two more people on our side would be most helpful, don't you think, master?" He leaned against the building with his arms folded, considering.   
  
"As much as it would gladden my heart to be rid of her, you are right, my child. I still need to get the Stone from her though. We'll work on that, but we have to get it soon. Rezo is plotting, and he's a deadly man when he does that. If he can summon one monster, he can do it again. Though why he doesn't come and finish me off himself I don't know."  
  
"Why does he want you dead master? Just because you're after the same thing he's after?"  
  
" I don't think that's all."  
  
"I wouldn't think that a man that powerful would need to actually kill you. Do you know where he is now?"  
  
"I haven't the slightest idea, but he'll find us I'm sure."  
  
"Do you think we can kill him?" He opened his mouth to answer, but another female voice cut in before he could.  
  
"I wouldn't think that you would allow your slave to speak to you in that manner," Lina stood outside with her hands on her hips staring at them. "She didn't even add the appellation." Meleyal was shocked to find out that the sorceress was right. She hadn't used the appellation, and she had been asking questions. Talking with her master as though they were equal, yet he hadn't corrected her. "One would think there was a deeper relationship here other than master and slave." Her master clenched his hand, but Lina didn't notice.  
  
"Even if that were true, it would still be none of your business." Lina ran a hand through her hair and shrugged.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, what are we going to do now?"  
  
"You're going to give me the Philosopher Stone." She threw back her head and laughed for an annoyingly long time.  
  
"I don't think so. You've got about as much chance of getting it from Gourry and I as Rezo does. Besides, using it for revenge seems rather stupid if you ask me." He laid a hand on his sword hilt in sudden rage. Unconsciously, Meleyal placed a calming hand on his arm and he surprisingly released his grip.  
  
"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Lina began eyeing the position of Meleyal's hand. "We're going to get to a town, get something to eat for a change, and then sleep in an inn. Then we're going to decide in a calm rational manner how we're going to beat Rezo because if he sent one monster after us then he will not hesitate to send another one. Since you want to take your revenge on him so badly I suggest you come with me. What do you say?"  
  
"Very well," he growled. She smiled and batted her eyelashes twice before whistling for her companion. Gourry came out of the building followed closely by Zolf and not as closely by Rodimus. As the company started out, the old man fell back to walk with his old friend and his daughter.  
  
"I take it we're going to work together for the time being?" He asked in a rather disgusted voice.  
  
"Only as long as we have to. Believe me, I would much rather do this on my own, but since she has the Stone we have to do it her way."  
  
"I have another concern as well."  
  
"Speak then. I would know what it is."  
  
"It's Zolf. Naturally, it's in his nature to brood and such, but he's never been so bitter before. He's questioning decisions and I'm not sure we can trust him anymore."  
  
"Don't worry about the magician. It's Lina that has him like this. He wants revenge on her almost as badly as I want mine on Rezo. She humiliated him, and she almost killed him. Now that we're working with her instead of hunting her, he's taking out the anger he would have taken out on her on you instead. Pay him no mind."  
  
"What if he stands against you?"  
  
"He won't, but if he tries, he will only try once."  
  
"Very good, lord."  
  
"We'll get his priorities straight soon enough. It wouldn't do to have him disobeying at a crucial moment."  
  
"So do we know where we're going?"  
  
"Not really. It doesn't matter anyway. Rezo will find us no matter where we go. All we have to do is wait for him to make his move. He'll have to come to us. I just wish Lina would let me have the Stone, even for a moment. . ." he trailed off. He didn't even know if it would work, but he needed to try. Jaylin trotted along beside them, staring intently at the ground and saying nothing. Just as well. He had allowed her to speak enough for one day. He knew that he shouldn't have let her ask questions, but it was so natural for her to do so. She was doubtless still thinking that she had shamed not only herself but him as well. The nervousness that was evident in her presence told him that much. He would let her think that for a while. Just as long as she didn't brood too long. He must have done something the day before to make her so bold, or it might have been the aftermath of her first kill. Either way, she was more comfortable with him now and they were becoming friends, again. He gave her a smile while she stared intently ahead and couldn't see. If only he could get her to remember.  
  



	10. Separation and Challenge

Chapter 10: Separation and Challenge   
  
The Red Priest's hand was clenched so tight on his staff he was shaking. They had failed. Both of them had failed. He had not guessed that the fool swordsman would possess the legendary sword of light that could kill the monster. He also had not guessed that the slave could wield a sword with such swiftness and skill. He had underestimated and it had cost him time and one of his last followers.   
  
As he carefully walked down the stairs of his laboratory, he heard the main door open and close. That would be Eris, returned from her hunt. The girl had adapted quite well to her demon side. It had been a struggle for her not to eat her first kill raw, but he had helped her through that. Now, she hunted freely for most of the afternoon after she had completed her lessons for the day.  
  
"Lord Rezo?" She called anxiously. Her pitch was always that way when she called to him. There was always that need for her to see him and be with him, which was why she didn't hunt for long without returning to him.  
  
"Here Eris, I am right here," he responded, holding out his hand as he heard her eager footsteps up to him. Her touch was warm and friendly as she guided him down the rest of the stairs even though she knew very well he could do it by himself. It was just as well, he enjoyed her company more than he thought he would have when he first met her.   
  
"What has happened Lord Rezo?" There was one side of being half demon that he wished could be taken away. She was hyper sensitive to his feelings and every other small thing about his body that would communicate to her that something was wrong.  
  
"The chimera lives," he told her softly.   
  
"Might I be of --"  
  
"No!" She jumped slightly at the ferocity of his decline of her offer so he had to go on in a gentler tone of voice. "No, fighting him would be much different then hunting forest creatures. Perhaps one day you will be able to go up against him, but by the time you are ready for that he had better already be dead." He felt her disappointment, but there was no way he would waste all the training he had put her through just for one brief encounter with Zelgadis. She would surely die, no matter how much her demon side helped her out, and he wasn't willing to let her go. He needed her for more than one reason.   
  
"What will you do?"  
  
"I must go after him myself. It is time now, and I am ready. The only thing I need is the Stone."  
  
"When will we leave?"  
  
"You will be staying here. I shall depart within the hour."  
  
"Lord Rezo --"  
  
"There will be no further discussion, Eris. I do not like it either, but it will only be for a little while. And when I return, I will be able to see you. Now listen close for what I want you to do while I am away."   
  
"Yes Lord Rezo. I am listening."  
  
"You must continue your studies. Read what I have left for you and practice until you can do it without thought. When I return we will have something very dangerous to do, even more so than killing the chimera, and I need you to be prepared. Understand?"  
  
"Yes Lord Rezo." He could hear the tears in her voice, and reached carefully to dry them. As part of her new body, he knew that her tears of sharded glass would cut him dreadfully, yet he had to comfort her somehow.  
  
"Look here," his other hand found her chin to turn her face up. "What if I were to give you a promise?"   
  
"If that is the only thing I can keep of you then I will hold it dearly, Lord Rezo." He showed her the cut down his hand and felt a drop of blood fall.  
  
"I shall return to you before this wound heals, but mind you, I will bring trouble along with me."  
  
"I understand, and I will be waiting."  
  
"Very good then. Now, smile for me." He liked the feel of Eris' smile. In fact, he liked everything about the young girl, but her smile was especially dear to him. His fingers lingered over her lips for a long time. Then, as an impulsive action that was unusual to his character, he bent down to kiss her forehead gently before leaving her.   
  
Eris watched even after the door was closed. It was only when she lowered her head that she noticed her shard of a tear glittering in the late afternoon light shining from the single window in the stone chamber. Somehow, a drop of Rezo's blood had merged with that piece of glass. She picked it up gingerly and determination replaced whatever sorrow had come from her master's departure. He had told her what she had to do, and she was going to do it. Skipping around the enormous sealed double doors that were raised on the floor of the main room, she hurried to the stairs that led to the upper chambers. Rezo had left the books he wanted her to study there, but the rest of his ancient tombs and all of his journals were kept beyond those sealed doors that led deep down into the real laboratory where he experimented his most dangerous spells. She could not get down there however because they would open only to Rezo or to whoever held the sword of light. That did not matter to her though. She wanted nothing down there. Everything she needed was in the upper chambers. Clutching the shard of glass so tightly it was a wonder her own hand was not cut, she opened the first book and began to read. They were words that she had read before and words that she would read countless times again until she had memorized every last one of them.  
  
"That," Lina purred contentedly as she leisurely meandered through the streets of the village. "Was perfect." Gourry marched at her side, giving their surroundings wary glances while the rest of the company followed in comfortable silence and Zolf brooding at the very end of the parade. "Now to find a nice soft bed to sleep in."   
  
"You shouldn't get too comfortable," the magician hissed. "Rezo is still out there you know." Lina pursed her lips together and pretended not to hear the warning. Zel shook his head at her. She was unbelievable in almost every way. Watching her eat was even more impressive than watching her fight, but the thing that Zel would never understand about her was her habit of making light of every situation. It was as if she didn't care that Rezo was powerful enough to kill them all if he should come after them himself. He knew that she did, but that was not evident in her speech and action. He knew also that there was no way he could change that aspect about her so he just followed her blindly as he watched the side ways.  
  
It was Jaylin who focused his attention when she half drew her sword in surprise of something. He grabbed his own only to find that what had happened was a false alarm. Lina, who had turned her head to speak sharply to the magician had accidentally run into a small boy. The tenseness in both himself and Jaylin relaxed as Lina helped the child to his feet.   
  
"Are you all right?" She asked him in a tone of voice unusual to her. The fair haired boy dusted himself off before answering that he was fine. Even as he opened his mouth to speak a red haze settled over him and he was held motionless. A glowing red ball floated toward the company as they stared in wonderment. When it was directly above the boy, it became apparent that it wasn't an ordinary sphere, but an eyeball. It opened to look down on them, and when it did a silhouette appeared within the red light.  
  
"Rezo," Zel growled and restrained himself from drawing since it would do no good anyway. The thin lips twisted upwards in a mocking smile and Jaylin grabbed his arm to call his attention away from the priest and back to the boy. He still stood, but he was entirely encased in stone. Rezo had petrified him.  
  
"Forgive my absence, dear friends," he began in his sarcastic fluid voice. Zel held tight to his anger, reminding himself over and over that it was only a phantom and that the real subject of his hate was many miles away. Lina, however, did not do that well of a job of keeping her anger down.  
  
"What do you want from us Rezo?" She shouted, her fingers clenched even though there was nothing she could do to harm him.   
  
"Need you even ask? Surely you know by now just what I want."  
  
"The Philosopher Stone," Gourry said, his own hand gripping the sword of light.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you," Lina's voice regained it's calm. "But you're not getting it."  
  
"There's no reason for you to be hostile towards me. I assure you, I intend to pay for it."  
  
"Oh," Zel finally had enough control over himself to ask the question. "And just what would be worth the price of the Philosopher Stone?" Rezo cupped his chin in a thoughtful posture as he appeared to think it over carefully.  
  
"What indeed? Now let's see." His hand stretched outward. "How about the people of this village? Would their lives be worth it?" A hand of fear clutched his heart as he knew that Rezo would make good on taking the lives of everyone in the village if he had to.   
  
"You wouldn't!" Lina screamed.  
  
"I imagine turning every citizen into stone like this boy here would be quite . . . artistic."  
  
"Are you mad?" Zel cried even though he knew that he need not even ask. The Red Priest was mad, and he was powerful. A very dangerous combination.  
  
"That's horrible!" Lina shouted though the point of saying it was beyond Zel. Rezo knew it was horrible, that was the only reason he had come up with it. He knew that they would have no choice but to give him the Stone.   
  
"Perhaps you have an alternative to my idea. If you wish to make a deal with me please feel free to come to my tower and we'll discuss it. Your chimera knows the way."  
  
In a fit of rage unlike any he had ever known, Zel screamed the vilest curse he could think of and in a flash of motion that no other eyes but his could record he flung a dagger at the apparition. It ripped right through the phantom who vanished and stabbed the center of the eyeball. Jaylin laid a hand on his arm and begged him to get a hold of himself with the touch as the eye shattered and his dagger fell to the ground, useless. They would have to go there now. He bit back another curse as he stared at the empty space where Rezo had been. He knew that he was gone and very far away, but he didn't want to have to look at Jaylin. It was humiliating to lose his temper that way and he was ashamed.  
  
"What do we do Lina?" Gourry demanded softly.  
  
"It looks as if we're going to have to play his game for now. If we don't he'll just go from village to village doing the same thing over and over until we talk to him. It's like he's taken an infinite number of hostages."  
  
"What's everybody looking at?" The child's small voice asked timidly. All eyes snapped to him. He was all right. Rezo had left him unharmed.  
  
"Nothing," Lina told him as she knelt to look him in the eye. "But it's getting late so you run along and get home." He nodded and sprinted off, not even knowing what had been done to him.  
  
"Do you really think you can make a deal with Rezo?" Zel asked when the boy was out of ear shot.  
  
"I don't know what I can do, but I have to at least try to reason with him."  
  
"And what if he doesn't listen to reason?"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
Yes, Rezo thought as the last shards of his eye crashed to the ground. What will you do then, Lina Inverse? They would have to come to his tower, that was the only way they could save their world, but he would have to be wary. The girl was clever and she would be a great deal of trouble if he wasn't prepared to handle her properly. Yet she shouldn't be too much of a problem for him. He smiled to himself as he picked up his staff to journey on to his tower. What will you do then?  
  
"How far is it to Rezo's tower anyway?" Gourry asked as the company began on through the town.  
  
"Far enough that we'll have to wait until morning to start out for it," Zel answered.   
  
"All well and good because I still want to find that inn with a nice soft bed to sleep in," Lina spoke as if her mind were a thousand miles away and her head already resting on that nice soft bed. Once the sorceress had made up her mind, there was no stopping her. It didn't matter though. They really would have to wait until morning, and a night's rest wouldn't do anyone any harm. The look that Jaylin gave him as they started off said that she wanted to speak with him later. That was fine, he supposed. She could ask all the questions she wished, but it would be up to him on whether they were answered or not.   
  
Lina had offered to share her room with the slave, but Zel wouldn't have it. He knew that being with Lina made Jaylin uncomfortable so he decided that she could stay in his room, though why she made his slave so nervous and edgy he didn't understand. They had all settled down to their own private rooms for the night, however no one but Gourry would probably get to sleep for a long while. Unlike any of the others, the swordsman did not worry or plan for the future. He relied on his instincts for the moment and needed no preparation for that.   
  
Zel leaned his sword against the wall where it could be caught up in an instant before sitting down on the bed. It was the only bed in the room so Jaylin would have to either sleep with him or sleep on the floor. He knew that if they tried to sleep together neither one of them would be relaxed enough to even close their eyes. That meant that one of them would have to take the floor, and it would have to be the slave. He might have offered her the bed, but he knew she would never have taken it. There was a certain pride about her rank, even though there shouldn't have been, and there were things that she would never do.   
  
"You're sure you'll do all right sleeping there?" He asked her. She had spread an extra blanket out over the floor and was now lounging on it like a cat, her own sword propped against the wall.   
  
"Yes master."  
  
"Because I can get you a room of your own if you'd like."  
  
"Compared to the rocky terrain I've been sleeping on in the past, this will seem like goosedown, master." He gave her a smile as he undid his cape.   
  
"You have questions for me don't you?" He went on as he hung his cloak over the only chair in the room. She nodded as she traced a pattern in the folds of the blanket. "Speak as you would then. We are alone."  
  
"You lost control of yourself today master." He looked down, remembering that shaming moment. "I would know why you hate the man so much that it would cause such a thing to happen." He stiffened, unable to speak. "Forgive me master. I should not have asked such a question." With a raised hand he made it known to her that it was all right for the question to have been asked.   
  
"Look at me, child, and tell me what you see." She raised her head, but he could tell she didn't understand.  
  
"Well, I see you, master. It is you."  
  
"Yes, but I was not born the man you see before you. I was human once. It was Rezo who gave me this monstrous body, and I would have my revenge upon him for that."  
  
"I wish that you were not so angry all the time master."  
  
"Oh, I'm not angry all the time."  
  
"But when there is not anger there is much pain."  
  
"That is none of your concern."  
  
"It is!" She was standing now, looking down at him.  
  
"Here then," he reached up for her hand and pulled her back down to the floor at his feet. "What is it to you how I feel? Feelings are such trivial things. Hardly worth paying any attention to at all. Surely not enough to get so worked up over."  
  
"One feeling is. Do you remember when you asked me if I loved you?" It was as if she had stabbed her sword through his heart and throat at the same time. How ridiculous he had felt when she had said no.   
  
"Yes," his voice so soft he could barely hear it. "I remember." She bent her head so that it was resting on his knee.  
  
"I was mistaken in my answer." What? Could that possibly mean? His thoughts scattered and he hardly knew what to say.  
  
"Indeed?" Was the only thing he could come up with in the whirlpool that had become his thought process.  
  
"I would do anything for you. I breathe for you. My entire life is yours, and that is because I choose it to be so. If that is not love then what is?" His heart raced as he finally caught a hold on what she was saying. She loved him. She loved him of her own free will and she loved him even though he was who he was. He didn't know if he could handle this. She was there, not knowing what they had been before this, with her head resting in his lap, and oblivious to the emotional turmoil she was putting him through.  
  
"Do you know what I wish?" She asked in a tiny voice. "I wish that I could hear my name, just once, from your lips. You have never once called me by my name."  
  
"Oh child. An angel of autumn you will always be to me, but I could never call you by that name."  
  
"But why not?"  
  
"You forget yourself, child," he told her, but without any force.  
  
"Yes I know, and it is only in forgetting myself that I ever get any closer to remembering myself. You know, though, don't you? You know me, you know what I am and what I was."  
  
"I really don't know if I know that or not anymore."  
  
"But you did at one time didn't you?" He opened his mouth but no sound came out. "There is something so natural about this and I want to know why. Why is it that I feel so strongly towards you and that you make me think of things that don't make any sense? Please, if you know, tell me."  
  
"It will hurt you."  
  
"I am willing." Zel fished something out of his cloak pocket, realizing that now was the time that the secrets would be told, but that was all right because she loved him.   
  
"Look at this then and tell me what you see." She looked at the piece of folded parchment. With shaking fingers, she smoothed it out before her. It was a sketching of him done by her own hand, kept carefully by him for all these years. It was the him that she knew. Something that she might remember.  
  
"I know this," she whispered as she stared at it intently. "I remember this." He waited for her to solve the mystery on her own. "This is my work. I drew this." He stared down at her and watched as one of her tears dropped onto the paper. "I drew this sketch of a boy. He was my best friend." Her gaze snapped up from the sketching to the object of the sketching. "It is you. All this time it has been you." The parchment slipped out of her fingers and she stood with painful hesitancy. The intensity of her stare was almost uncomfortable. Her eyebrows drew downwards in rapt concentration of what he was and who he had been. One foot stepped forward then once again she paused. She would need some help to break through all the training she had undergone. She wanted to throw herself at him, but she was held back by the fact that he was still her master. Slowly, he opened his arms and beckoned with his hands in invitation. That was enough. She wrapped her arms about his neck, trying hard not to sob with ecstasy and failing. He carefully allowed himself to draw her close to him. This was what he had been waiting for. She pulled away for a moment to look at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Oh Zel, what has that monster done to you?"  
  
"Never mind about that. It is finished now." She buried her face into his chest, weeping with relief and joy. Something that he had kept locked up for a long time finally broke open and he allowed himself to cry with her.   
  
"Speak my name, Zel," she commanded in a desperate voice. "Please, you must. I cannot remember it."  
  
"You are Jaylin," he said into her hair. "You are my Jaylin"  
  
The clouds of her mind vanished with the one word. Mestronian visions collapsed to nothing with the revelation of her name, and she knew that they would trouble her no more.   
  
"I remember you," she cried happily. "I remember us. Why did you not tell me?"  
  
"I was not ready for you to know, and it hurt you so much to recall things from your past that I thought such a mighty truth being revealed would kill you. It does not matter now though. You remember now." So she did, and she also understood the things about him that had antagonized her curiosity. Such as why he knew she was left handed, and why he chose her even though she was a Black. Such a marvelous thing when all the pieces fell into place. She was about to say something more when the sharp knock on the door caused the friends to release each other and Jaylin to slip down to the floor in one smooth movement.  
  
"Come forth," Zel called with only slight irritation at being interrupted at such a moment. Rodimus ducked inside, bowing once the door was shut behind him.  
  
"Forgive me for interrupting, lord, but I heard someone crying and wondered if I could be of any help?"   
  
"No Rodimus, all is well with us." He waited for Jaylin to say something. Surely, if she had known him she would recognize her own father, but she stayed silent. She traced patterns on the floor with her eyes downcast. The old man paused in the act of his departure to give Jaylin a pleading glance. Zel had seen it often when he looked at her, and it was to be expected. He would have told her, but he was sure that Rodimus would rather she remember on her own. It would mean that much more to him if she did. The warrior shook his head, bowed slightly to Zel, and went back to his room across the corridor.  
  
"That man," Jaylin spoke with slow words and low tone. "Is very familiar to me, Zel."  
  
"I would suppose so." She jumped up as swiftly as if she had been burned.  
  
"He's my --" she cut off looking oddly after him. "My father." Zel nodded. She turned to him, her eyes wide in disbelief and mouthed the words again. "You told him not to tell me."  
  
"Yes I did." She looked down, biting her lip. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I'd often wondered what I would say to him if I ever saw him again, but I never could quite come up with the words. I guess that is because there is nothing to say."  
  
"Nothing to say? Jaylin, he's your father."  
  
"True, but you would never have thought that if you had seen us together when we had the chance. He never once made it apparent that I belonged to him in any way. He was so distant from me, always. No, there is nothing to be said between us. In fact, do not even tell him that I know who he is. You seem to do well at keeping secrets, and I would appreciate it if you kept mine."  
  
"Very well, but you will regret this."  
  
"I? No, I don't think so. There is just nothing left to be said."  
  
"He loves you."  
  
"He's too late." She ran her fingers down the side of his face, favoring him with a tired, sad smile before lounging once more on her makeshift pallet and closing her eyes. She was making a mistake and he knew it, but there was nothing he could say that would convince her of that. The distance between herself and her father was too far for him to close, and he already had enough problems. He gave his sword a glance as he lay down, and did not stop staring at it until his eyes closed by themselves. For the first time in three years, he went to sleep without fear of what was to come in his dreams.  
  
Fool, Rodimus cursed himself as he polished his sword. A Tegyrn blade it was, and a nice one. He should have said the things that needed to be said when he had the chance. Now it was too late. He hadn't even realized what he had done to his daughter until Zel brought it up the first time they had ever met.   
  
That had been a painful day. He had taken a walk through the woods that she had loved so much. He looked down all the trails and at all the trees. For hours he walked, wondering what had drawn her to this place every day. The boy, he knew it had been the boy, yet he had seen no one. He came to a clearing completely surrounded by rocks, with one giant boulder in the center. It's shape was perfect for a little chair. He smiled as he traced the weathered lines of it. It seemed real in the make believe world that circled all around him, and it also felt sacred now that the person who had come to the very spot would never come there again. Her laughter would never shimmer through these trees, and she would never play her guitar on this rock. She was a slave now, and he had known, always known, that she would someday be. That fact he was not able to change, but he also could not change the emptiness he felt that she was no longer with him.  
  
A rustle of the autumn leaves brought his attention from his rock tracing. Turning, he tried to see beyond the branches and brush to what had caused the noise.  
  
"Jaylin?" A timid soft voice called from beyond the curtain of forest shrouds.  
  
"No," he told whatever it was. "Jaylin is gone."  
  
"I know," the voice almost broke. "I know."  
  
"Who are you? Come here." A distorted creature slipped through the shadows and out of the cover of the brush. A creature hunched with its own sorrow edged forward. His clothes were in tatters and the only dignified thing that was in his possession was the blade that hung at his waist. The thing stopped when he was in full view with his knees bent so that he could touch the ground with the fingers of one hand as if he couldn't stand upright on his own strength. Its head hung down with obvious pain.  
  
"I am Zelgadis," it said through a strained voice. Rodimus' eyes went wide. Zelgadis! The boy whom Jaylin ran to the woods every day to see. The boy who she chatted about hours after she had come home. Surely there must be some mistake. It couldn't be this thing that she came to see, that she adored with all her soul. "Do not judge too harshly sir. I know what I must appear to you to be."  
  
"Indeed? And what are you if you are not what you appear to be?"  
  
"A tortured soul, trapped unjustly in the body of a chimera. What about you, good sir?"  
  
"I am Rodimus, Jaylin's father. The plain and simple of the world."  
  
"You? Jaylin's father? You, sir, had a great honor bestowed upon you to be the father of such a creature."  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
"But you never let her know, did you?"  
  
"What right have you to tell me how I should raise my own daughter?" Yet he was right. The twisted creature of stone that stood hunched before him was right.  
  
"She thought the world of you, yet you never noticed. You never understood. That's why she came to me. I was there where you were not."  
  
"Silence boy. I know perfectly well what I have done, but there is nothing that I can do to change that now. Believe me, she will suffer less thinking that I hated her than she would if she had known the truth."  
  
"You know best then, sir." Zelgadis made an effort of standing upright, though it was obvious that it was an effort, and turned to walk back into the woods.  
  
"Wait, Zelgadis, wait," he beckoned him back. The boy stopped, but did not face him. "Where will you go now?"  
  
"I am going to find her, and bring her back to where she belongs."  
  
"You know that you lack the power to do such a thing." He raised a stone fist, clenched so tight dust sifted down from his clenched fingers.   
  
"Oh, I do have the power, sir, and I will get her back if I have to kill Berihn to do it. I have been given power with this body, and as soon as I master its use I will be able to do anything." The serious tone of his voice made his rather arrogant statement turn to fact. He would do as he had said.   
  
"Would you mind if you were accompanied by an old man who is ignorant to the needs of even his own daughter and wishes to make amends?"  
  
"You may come with me if you like. I ask only that you do not get in my way." At first he thought it would shame him to take commands from a boy, but the more he watched the slow precise grace of him and heard him speak the less it seemed a shame and more an honor.  
  
"I will do as you say, lord." The appellation was a pledge of fealty. Zelgadis looked back sharply, then nodded in acceptance. "Where shall we look?"  
  
"We cannot look for her just yet. First I must understand the workings of the power in my body, and then we still have a Priest to deal with. I have pledged myself to him, though exactly how I managed to do that is still not clear. We must find the Philosopher Stone first. Do not worry, good Rodimus, we will find her if it takes the rest of our lives and then some." Such was the beginning of their partnership. A shaky beginning once he looked back on it, yet it had grown into a trust and respect.  
  
Now we are all together as it should be, he thought as he stared at the dark inn ceiling. If only I dared tell her. It might be too late. Perhaps she would never know. He sighed, turning from his back to his side, and tried to fall asleep. He had a bigger problem than his daughter that needed to be dealt with first.  
  



	11. To Rezo's Tower, Shabranigdo's Rebirth

Chapter 11: To Rezo's Tower, Shabranigdo's Rebirth  
  
"Exactly how far is it to this tower again?" Gourry asked as he plodded along. Now Zel understood why he stayed with Lina. Their complaining nature was exactly the same.  
  
"We should be able to see it soon." They walked in groups of three. Jaylin marched in silence at his side, not wanting to be apart from him for any reason. Rodimus only a step behind them. While Lina and Gourry walked a little away with Zolf following close behind the swordsman who it seemed he respected. Besides, he also wanted any excuse to get back at Lina for what she had done to him in the past. They had left the forests of the land behind a long while ago and now it was only rock and bits of dicot weed as far as they could make out on any of the four horizons. Their boots crunched on the smaller pebbles, making for monotonous travel and the hot summer sun was high above them in the cloudless bleached sky.  
  
"Describe the tower for me," Lina went on as she stared straight ahead, searching for any sign that they were close. Zel shrugged as he pictured the tower in his mind.  
  
"It's mostly just empty space up to the top hall. Pretty run down place actually, not that Rezo minds. There, there it is." He stopped to point out the sight for them. In truth, it looked more like a ruin rather than a place where someone of stature would actually live. Lina raised an eyebrow as if she didn't believe him.  
  
"That's it?" He didn't even bother answering such a thing; he just started walking.   
They were still a ways away. They would reach it by late afternoon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jaylin following obediently behind and the others trotting tiredly after. He did not want her to face Rezo, but how he was going to leave her behind he still wasn't sure. As they entered the tower's shadow, Gourry stepped closer to Lina though she paid him no mind. To Zel's eyes, she took him for granted and she would regret that someday, yet it was none of his business.  
  
At the main door, the group hesitated, each going over their separate thoughts on what was waiting for them inside. He was only one man, but a man with so much power. Taking the initiative, as always, Lina marched inside with Gourry following close behind. Zel paused, looking back at Jaylin.  
  
"You will wait for me here," he told her, but she shook her head. "Jaylin." Her name was meant as a warning.  
  
"I'm going."  
  
"Your remembering your past means nothing other than that. As your legal master I am commanding that you remain outside where it's safe."  
  
"And as your friend I am begging that you allow me to come with you."  
  
"No." As much as it gladdened him that she knew who he was, it was going to make it difficult. Had she still thought of herself as his slave then it would have been easy to get her to stay where it was safe. "You're staying here, even if I have to tie you to a rock. It's up to you." If she had ever glared at him before she was glaring at him that moment. In the end, she bowed deeply.  
  
"As you wish then, master."  
  
"Are you coming Zel? We're going to need you both." Lina poked her head back outside to see what was taking them so long. Jaylin looked at the sorceress and smiled before adjusting her sword belt. Zel gave them both a look. "What's the matter Zel?" He threw his hands in the air before marching past them into the dark tower.  
  
"Why do I bother?" He asked as he walked by.  
  
"Thank you, master," Jaylin whispered as she stepped to his side. He studied her intently.  
  
"Don't you dare try anything ridiculous in here, understood?"  
  
"When have I ever done anything ridiculous, master?" Zel could think of a couple of times off hand, but he decided to leave it alone. His concentration was needed, ready to recite a spell at a second's notice. The place was dark, dreary, and as expected, empty. Lina fingered the pouch that contained the Orihalcon statue, for all her light behavior she was serious now.  
  
"Where is he?" She muttered in a rather irritated fashion. Zel's gaze flashed from dark shadow to dark shadow.   
  
"He's here," he reassured her, but he didn't need to explain how he knew. He could feel the man's presence like a taint over his soul. He knew that when his body had been formed the priest had connected them with a strong bond. He would know where Rezo was at all times, unless Rezo did not want him to know, and he would also know when the mage died.  
  
Just when the words had passed through his lips, a red light fell over the entire main room like a tide flow of blood. Rezo's dark red silhouette appeared in all his calmness, his staff clenched in his left hand.  
"I bid you all welcome," he told them, completely unruffled that so many had come who were his enemies. The magic users of the group gathered their power while the others, who knew no other way to fight rather than the cold steel that was never far from their grasp, fingered their hilts in preparation. "Forgive this form I've taken, but I am occupied at the present time." Though what he was doing that would require him to come to them only as a phantom was not clear. "You have the Stone?" Lina pulled the pouch from her belt, holding it up for his inspection. Even though he could not see, he was aware of every stirring of dust particles and even, Zel suspected, the bending of the light itself.  
"It's inside this," Lina told him in a voice that said she was ready for a fight if it would come to that, "but I'd much rather give it to you in person. And I have something to ask." Zel had never dispised her more than at that moment. She had had a plan all along and she had somehow failed to mention it to any of them. He hated going into things like this without either having a plan himself or knowing how someone else's plan worked.  
"As you wish then, but in that case, I'm afraid I must ask you to join me at the top of the tower." All the red haze seemed to be drawn in toward the phantom that hovered there in front of them before everything retreated at a rapid pace up to the top hall. Lina watched it as it disappeared, then she looked around, taking everything in. Memorizing every detail for future use. There was nothing there, only the beginning of the stairs directly in front of the company. Stairs that led up, spiraling along the walls of the tower, to a dizzying height.   
"That is going to be a pain to climb," she whispered still straining her neck trying to see where the stairs even stopped. Zel glanced upward for her benefit, but he knew exactly how many stairs there were.  
"Quite," he said without really having a reason for saying anything at all. He didn't care what she did, but as for himself, he was not willing to use that much energy lumbering up all those wretched steps only to have a fight waiting for him at the top. It would be much faster, not to mention much easier, to just levitate himself.  
Though Jaylin had no knowledge of what the gesture that Zel was giving meant, Zolf obviously did. The magician laid a hand on Rodimus' shoulder and then suddenly they were both hovering in the air, rising up. Before she could puzzle out exactly how it was accomplished, her master, she would still think of him thus for a while afterward, slipped his hand about her and lifted her into his arms.  
"Levitation," she heard him speak in a tone soft but commanding. She closed her eyes and clung to him, knowing that they would not be walking the steps, but flying up to their end. Gourry wasn't taking too well to being carried either. From his voice he was very close, though she wasn't willing to open her eyes to see how close.  
"I can't fall can I?" Gourry was asking Lina. Jaylin listened intently for the answer, hoping that it wasn't possible for such a thing to happen.  
"Only if you let go of me," Lina told him matter of factly. The matter of factness of the statement was ruined by a yelp of pain when Gourry held on a little too tightly. Jaylin tried to block out the swordsman's whimpering and tried to think of herself safe in her master's arms. He wouldn't drop her so there was really no reason to fear, yet the mere thought of how high they were and what would happen should she slip from his grasp was a terrifying thought.  
She was just as glad as Gourry when they finally reached the top hall, though she did not say as much while he made it quite clear that he was happy not to have to trust his life to the fiery haired sorceress. She found it humiliating that the prospect of fighting a powerful a sage as Rezo had no effect on her, but being completely safe in the arms of her master for a moment in the air had put her in an almost panicked state. That didn't matter though, at least when she went back it would be different, or that is she hoped it would.  
"What now?" Lina muttered gazing about everything very intently.  
"He'll be through those doors," Zel helped her out by pointing. Shrugging her shoulders backwards as she walked past them, she flung open the large wooden doors making quite a ruckus in the process. Again the room was mostly empty, except for a throne like chair that stood in the exact center. In that chair, sat the almighty mage, Rezo, the Red Priest. He sat with a relaxed manner and the ever present smirk on his face.  
"You'll be giving me the statue now." It wasn't a question. The man was amazing with his calm aura and steady fluid voice.  
"Not so fast Rezo," Lina declared in a booming voice. "It's right here, but I want to know why you want this thing so badly." The priest sighed dramatically.  
"Hasn't Zelgadis already told you the reason?"  
"That bit about wanting to cure your blindness?" Again came the sigh.  
"I could explain everything to you, but you wouldn't understand, none of you could."  
"Well in that case why didn't you just tell me the truth when we first met? Why did you have to make up all that stuff about Zel wanting to resurrect Shabranigdo? Also, why did you send Dilgear and that monster after us? If you had wanted the Stone it would have been quicker just to come and get it yourself. Or did you have something else to do? I don't doubt you want your sight, but I want to know just how you intend on using the Stone to get it." Zel again was reminded on how he hated not being in on the plan. What point was she trying to get at? Wait! No, that couldn't be. Even Rezo wouldn't do something like that. "You made a deal with that monster didn't you?" Lina went on. "You get your sight in exchange for resurrecting Shabranigdo, Dark Lord of the Monster Race." All present in the room inhaled in pure shock as the entire mess was solved right before them. "Correct?" Silence filled the chamber with such denseness that one could feel it hovering, only to be disrupted a moment later by three sharp claps.  
"Brilliant," the mage smirked as he finished clapping. "A marvelous case of deduction."  
"You would risk destroying the world just for your own benefit?" Zolf asked incredulously.  
"When the powers of man are not sufficient, one must turn to either the gods or the monsters. Shabranigdo is the strongest, and I believe he is sealed inside this very tower. All I need to complete the resurrection is the Stone. So if you would be so kind as to give it to me you can go on your way." The man was mad, plain and simple. Bringing up a monster would only ruin the earth that he would get to see for only moments before his own death. Lina raised her hand, gathering a spell until it glowed brightly, confident with the fact that even Rezo could not defeat this many of them if they all worked together.  
"You're not getting it because I'm going to blast this thing into oblivion."   
"Indeed?" Rezo seemed amused with the idea as he rose from the chair. His staff clanged with one clear note and the world fell away into haze. "Life born of hardest stone formed under the weakest flesh, let the spell release you and return you to your home." Confused Lina dropped her hand. She felt nothing of the unfamiliar spell's effects. There was power in the room certainly, but it wasn't doing anything.  
Since she was standing right next to him, no one but Jaylin heard the sharp intake of breath as the spell began. After that initial first gasp the pattern of his respiratory cycle became strained and irregular, as if he were fighting something. Instinctively, his hand snapped out and caught her supporting arm while the fingers of the other were pressed against his temple.  
"Master, what's wrong?" She spoke in low tones while eyeing the haze that had settled over everything of a sudden. She lowered her pitch even more. "Zel, talk to me." Though she knew that she shouldn't, she eased him down until they were both on their knees. If he was ill then she wanted to be in a position where she could protect him. Zel shook his head a few times, very violently as though he were trying to clear it.  
"Become one with my will, and become mine," Rezo's spell continued. Zel's eyes closed tight and he hunched over like he was in great pain. He spasmed twice and screamed before he was completely still. Terrified, Jaylin shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him, still unclear of what had just happened.  
"Now, my loyal puppet. Now!" Almost too fast for her to see, her master twisted about and grabbed her arm. With a great thrust he shoved her against the wall, knocking her breath away. She had just enough time to see that his eyes were covered with a crimson veil before he ran away from her towards Lina. That meaningless spell had meant something after all. It was for Zelgadis.   
The sorceress was still puzzling out exactly what was going on when Zel knocked the statue from her hands into the air where it was caught up in another spell from Rezo. The Orihalcon statue, with the Philosopher Stone inside, slowly floated through space to end up in the hands of the Red Priest while Zel held Lina powerless in his stone grasp. Just as Lina ripped out of his hands, Rezo had disappeared through a secret door in the wall.  
"We've got to stop him before he does something that could destroy the entire world!" Lina screamed trying to get past Zel who had drawn his sword now. The rest of the company sprinted to the door, Jaylin leading them, but the chimera was too quick and too skilled. Leaping over their heads, he managed to land directly in front of the door, buying the mage the time he needed for the resurrection ceremony. Jaylin drew her own sword, brandishing it. Zel smiled a cold smile that froze her blood into ice.  
"Zelgadis," Lina commanded in a sharp voice. "Step away." The chimera hissed, lifting his sword. While his gaze was resting on the fire haired sorceress, Jaylin risked a duck toward the door, her sword held out ready should he try to catch her on his blade. There was a great clang as their swords met. She looked up, directly into his crimson eyes. Having the slightest fragment of an idea, she attacked her own master. She allowed him to counterattack and then she couldn't do much but defend herself from there. As she retreated she brought him with her, leaving the door unprotected.  
"Go!" She yelled before she could change her mind. The foursome hesitated slightly before rushing through the unguarded door, each giving her one last look as though they never expected to see her alive again. Indeed, they probably wouldn't. Zel could not recognize her so it would not bother him at all to kill her. She knew that she could not beat him, she never had been able to beat him. All she could do was buy the others time to get to Rezo and stop him from carrying out his fatal intentions.  
Once she was alone, she was truly amazed at how frightened she was of her best friend. As Zel noticed that they were the only ones left he growled out a curse of some sort and tried to leave her to catch up with those who had went after Rezo. -I must not let him do that- she thought and desperately threw herself between the door and her master. He attacked with redoubled effort and she fought back with every ounce of strength and skill she had. He was so strong, so swift. Most of her defense consisted of instinct and reflex rather than rational thought.   
"Zelgadis, please!" She cried, trying to bring him out of whatever wretched spell had been put upon him, then ducked under his full swing of the sword. In all her imagination she had never suspected she would die this way. The chimera was getting desperate to get out of the room and brought on the last of his demon speed to help him. In one blink of an eye, he leaped up and kicked her square in her chest. She fell backward, her sword unbelievably still clenched in her hand. She was about to bring it up to ward off whatever he was going to do, but when she looked up his sword tip was already at her throat. Panting, she just looked at it, waiting for her world to end. Zel looked down at her for a moment, then side stepped to run to the door. It was a mistake to her advantage. Ignoring her broken ribs, she twisted swiftly and caught his ankle, holding as tight as possible. His equilibrium dismantled, Zel fell forward. Acting quickly, before he could get up, she pounced on him to keep him down and slammed her sword hilt into the back of his head as hard as she could. He convulsed once at the shock of it, then lay absolutely still, face down on the stone floor. Trembling she moved away from his body. His body. She had killed her own master, her best friend. Sobbing, she threw her sword as far away from herself as she possibly could get it. The pain of her ribs refused to let her draw her knees up to her chest otherwise she would have done so to hide her face from the world and from the body. She knew that she should follow where the others had gone, to see if she could assist them somehow, but she just lacked the strength and purpose to rise from the floor.  
A soft moan stopped her sobbing in an instant. Zel! He wasn't dead. She crawled to him and turned him over onto his back. In a moment, his eyes were open and he was sitting up, rubbing the back of his head and wincing slightly. She was so relieved that he was alive and the crimson had left his eyes their original blue color that she started to cry all over again.  
"What happened?" He asked rather groggily. She shook her head, not wanting to tell him. "Jaylin." She choked, unable to speak even if she had wanted to. He looked about at their scattered swords and the empty room, his intellect putting the observations together and rationalizing what had happened. "Oh no." He passed a weary hand before his eyes, then, in a fit of rage, punched the ground with his fist. "Jaylin, I'm sorry."  
"So am I, but it wasn't really your fault."  
"Still. ."  
"It doesn't matter, it's over now." He nodded, tracing the path of her tears gently with one stone finger.  
"Come," he said as he jumped up. "We must help the others." Jaylin rose a bit more slowly, the trauma her ribs had undergone finally catching up fully in waves of pain and nausea. Though she didn't want to, she gasped and wrapped her right arm about herself, hunching over and trying not to vomit.  
"What did I do?" Zel asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.  
"It's all right, but you kick with much skill, master." He winced, cursing himself silently for doing such a thing.  
"They're broken aren't they?"  
"I. . .I think so."  
"Jaylin, I am begging you to stay here and wait for us." She shook her head, straightening slowly until she was completely upright.  
"Why not a Healing spell? Couldn't you do a Healing spell?" He seemed to think on that for a moment before nodding his head.  
"All right, move your hand." She drew her fingers away from the injury so he could rest his in the exact same place. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the spell. She felt a brief burst of power shoot through her being, but other than that the spell had made no difference. It hadn't done what it was supposed to, yet she knew that she had taken in the power of it. Strange, but she must not let him know that it had not worked. Good thing the injury was internal or he would have known. If she did not do anything that would suggest to him that she was still in pain, she could go on and offer her help.   
"How's that?" Zel asked as he removed his hands. She took a deep breath as if in relief.  
"Much better, my thanks." He nodded. She picked up her sword while he did the same and together they went out in search of the others. The doorway led to another set of stairs, though not even close to the number they had flew over to get to the top hall. Zel gave his friend a look and smile before sprinting up two at a time, listening for her footstep behind him. At the top of this staircase was another door and the power radiating from beyond it was incredible. Not hesitating at all, Zel burst into the room only to stop still and stare. The room was huge, and drawn almost on the entire area of the floor was the biggest magic circle he had ever seen. In the center stood Rezo, his hands outstretched toward the ceiling, laughing insanely. Lina, Rodimus and the others were standing just outside the border, watching with mouths open and eyes wide. Zel ran to them and crouched down against the wind that whipped suddenly all around them.   
"Are we too late?" He shouted against the roar of wind, looking up at Lina who either hadn't heard him or was too mesmerized by what was happening to answer. The power in the room escalated to such an astonishing level that Zel was surprised that Rezo was able to bear it all.   
"Shabranigdo!" Rezo screamed hysterically. "The time for your rebirth has come!" A particularly strong gust of wind rushed inward to him, causing Jaylin to collapse to her knees beside her master. He gave her one quick look before turning his attention back to the Red Priest. All of a sudden, the mage stopped his maniacal laughter, changing from it to a hideous scream. He writhed there all alone in the center of the circle, his hands pressed against his eye sockets.  
"He was wrong!" Lina's voice cut through the wind with the clarity of solving yet another puzzle. "The Dark Lord isn't sealed inside this tower at all, this is only the place for the ceremony. Shabranigdo is really sealed inside the eyes of Rezo!"  
"What?!" Gourry shouted, but the question was lost in the screams of the man in red. His hands clenched and unclenched and his body began to shift and change while the entire time Rezo gave the shrieks of a dying man. If Shabranigdo was truly sealed within the mage's eyes then when he was reborn Rezo would be no more. They all stared at the rebirth of the monster, but they were powerless to stop it. There simply was nothing they could do now except try to destroy the monster forever this time. In the original battle, when Shabranigdo was first beaten, he was broken into seven pieces and sealed into different places on the earth. Who could have known that one of those places was inside the eyes of a human being? It was thought that breaking him and sealing him thus would stop him, but that was not the case. It just meant that he had to be beaten seven times over to completely destroy him. There had been one rebirth since the original battle and that one piece had been vanquished. However, that had nothing to do with this one, who was just as powerful and very much alive.  
Since it was the only thing Zel could think of to do, he released a spell at the monster who was rising up terribly before them. Rezo had completely disappeared, his body taken over and distorted to that of Shabranigdo. The bolt of pure blue-white energy burst from his fingertips only to bounce harmlessly off the dark lord. The strongest attack spell in Shaumanist magic, and it had no effect other than turning the monster's attention to himself. Bad move, Zel, he chastened himself. Very very bad. They had to get out of this place. They had to leave quickly and find some safe place to plan out an attack. Fighting him here without a plan was pointless. It just wouldn't work. Before he could shout out the command to run, Zolf had bravely stepped forward to confront the lord of the monster race.  
"Zolf!" Zel screamed, beckoning him back frantically. "Fool! Retreat!" But Zolf ignored him entirely. Closing his eyes in concentration, the magician lowered his hands for a spell. This was where he would get his revenge on Lina. By proving he could conquer the dark lord where she could not would grind deep on her soul for eternity. If he could have accomplished it without getting himself killed.  
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows," he chanted in a voice of power, his hands beginning to glow.  
"The Dragon Slave?" Lina asked to no one in particular. "From that third rate wizard? Doesn't he know anything?"  
"Wizard!" Zel called again. "It won't work, Zolf, you must retreat."  
"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows," the spell continued on. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand." Zel brought his cape up to shield himself from what he knew would happen. To attack Shabranigdo with a black magic spell of that intensity would mean Zolf's death and anyone who might be in the way of the backlash of the collision of the two magicks.  
Although Jaylin hated the magician, she realized at the last possible moment that she did indeed love her father, who ran out to save the man. She would have been perfectly fine to watch Zolf perish from his own stupidity, if it hadn't been for Rodimus.  
"No Zolf!" The man screamed, leaping up to bring the wizard back to safety.   
"Father keep back!" She gave one hesitant look to the magician who was ignoring all that was going on around him. In the end, she ran the few steps forward that would mean her doom. Rodimus' gaze snapped back to give her a stare. His mouth dropped open and he stretched his hand out to her, but it was all too late.  
"Dragon Slave!" Screamed Zolf, releasing the spell at Shabranigdo. Jaylin had just touched her fingers to those of her father when a wave of flame enclosed them completely.  
"No!" Zel screamed, turning away from the sight. The strength of the backlash was so complete it tore his cloak from him. He let it go, unable to do anything but watch the flames. Above the roar of the fire, Shabranigdo's laughter echoed in the empty stone chamber.  
"Can't you do something?" Gourry demanded of both of them. "You're both sorcerers." Lina shook her head.  
"Let's go," she said.   
"What?" Gourry couldn't stand not even trying to fight.  
"Run." She shoved him backward a step until the blonde swordsman was sprinting on his own, but Zel still stood transfixed staring at the fire. "Zelgadis, you can't do anything now so let's get going." She tugged at his arm until he hesitatingly took a few steps, still staring. It wasn't until she shook him violently that he realized that she was right. He couldn't do anything. Hands clenched he ran with the sorceress right behind him and Shabranigdo's wretched laughter following with the sound he knew he would hear for a long time.  
  
  



	12. The Final Battle?

Chapter 12: The Final Battle?  
  
"What," Lina began as they walked back towards the town with the faint light of the setting sun. "Are we going to do? That thing. . . .that thing has so much power. What are we going to do."  
  
"We can run for now, but sooner or later we will have to stand and fight," Zel muttered, logic taking over instinctively since his mind wasn't really functioning on any other level. Lina paused to give him a sympathetic glance over her shoulder.  
  
"She meant a lot to you didn't she?" He smiled a sorrowful half smile.  
  
"You have no idea." After that, he would say no more. Lina muttered to herself different strategies and a few curses while Gourry just followed her obediently saying nothing to break her concentration. They marched until the forest came up to embrace the rocky terrain and they were sheltered by the overhanging branches and the ever darkening night sky. Once they reached that point, Lina found a suitable place and collapsed in an exhausted heap in the deep shadow of a tall tree. Gourry settled next to her while Zel stood looking at them blankly.   
  
"Sit down, Zel, you're making me nervous hovering like that," she commanded absently waving him down. "Besides, we have to get a strategy here."  
  
"Very well." He sat across from her and Gourry, feeling isolated. He did not even like the girl, yet they were still together. Pulled into a partnership by circumstances neither could control or reverse.  
  
"All right," she began once they were all as comfortable as they could get sitting on the ground. "It's obvious I cannot use my magic to beat him." Of course that was obvious. Since Shabranigdo was the master of all the dark negative forces of the earth, using black magic on him was just the same as asking him if he would help them to kill him. Utterly useless. And white magic was used solely for healing and purification. "But I thought if we used an attack using your Shaumanist powers, maybe we might just have a chance." He listened with his arms folded and his head lowered.  
  
"It won't work," he said softly without emotion.  
  
"What do you mean it won't work?"  
  
"Did you notice what I did when he was being reborn?"  
  
"Yes, you cast a spell I couldn't make out. It didn't do anything against him though. Say, that wasn't. . ."  
  
"The Ra-Tilt." Her mouth gaped wide in disbelief and hopelessness.   
  
"Why didn't it work? I thought that Shabranigdo existed. . ." she trailed off for a second time, trying to find the right words to explain it. Mostly they said these things out loud for Gourry's benefit, who knew nothing of magic. Who really knew nothing of anything except his sword.  
  
"Shabranigdo does exist as an astro lifeform. He is a monster after all, but since he is so powerful he can disrupt astro energy very strongly. And he is able to deflect a human's spell with no effort at all. I should have known that before I even cast the spell, but I thought it was worth a try."  
  
"Then what is there that we haven't tried?"  
  
"I believe that the only chance we have left is in Gourry's sword of light, and that chance is very questionable." Lina folded her arms and leaned against a tree trunk, eyes closed.   
  
"You don't intend to rely just on that do you?" She asked very quietly.  
  
"It appears I have no choice in the matter. Besides, I'm not going to let them go unavenged, even if I die trying." He stood up, adjusting his hilt  
  
"Well, I, for one, don't want to die."  
  
"No one is saying that you have to come." In fact, Zel didn't even want her to accompany him. Everything about her manner tested his patience and tolerance with every moment. He did not need her at all. Her black magic was of no use to him. The only thing he needed was Gourry's permission for the sword of light and nothing more.  
  
"Oh I'm coming. I'm no coward, but I don't believe in that I'm going to fight even though I'm going to die routine. Men think it's so heroic and noble, but what is so heroic and noble about being dead?" Zel just stared at her, yet again amazed by her strange personality. "Look, if you go off into a fight where we have only a slight chance of winning but you're convinced you're going to lose, that slight chance disappears completely. So if we're going to fight, we're going to win." She held out her hand, her fingers closed in a fist, smiling up at the chimera. Slowly he lifted his own to place on hers in a strange type of pledge.  
  
"Very well then," he said calmly, staring directly at her. She nodded, closing the deal.  
  
"We can't go off for him now though," she said becoming suddenly thoughtful. "With the night he'll be even more powerful than ever. We'll have to wait until dawn." Zel agreed only because his brain was in logical mode. His soul wanted vengeance, and it wanted it soon.  
  
"Zel?" He winced before looking up into the scarlet eyes of Lina's. Her hand was on his arm, though when he turned to regard it, she removed it quickly.   
  
"What?" He didn't mean to snap the question. It was a petty thing that it should pain him so much to hear his nickname from anyone else save his Jaylin, and he knew this. Somehow, that made no difference. If he had to be called, then let him be called by his full name. However, he could never tell Lina this so he supposed he would just have to put up with it.  
  
"You left us, I think. Just went into a trance out of the blue. It didn't look like it was a pleasant place your mind had taken off to, so I thought it best to bring it back here where it belongs." He sniffed at the oddness of her entire statement.  
  
"My thanks," he muttered and took a few steps away from her.  
  
"She was more than just your slave wasn't she?" He winced again, thankful that his back was to her and she could not see the wound she was tearing open.  
  
"Indeed, she was." He could feel the sympathy radiate from her in waves, loathing it all the while. He did not want to be pitied, he had been pitied all his life. Whenever someone looked at him, at his face, it was always the same thing. In his mind, there was nothing to be pitied.  
  
"Who was she anyway?" Lina prodded gently, though to him she was pushing him toward the cliff of sanity.  
  
"A friend," he stated briefly, hoping to close the matter. "A close friend."  
  
"Then why did you. . .?"  
  
"Enough!" He whirled on her, sword half out of his sheath before he even recognized who he was drawing on. Her hands came up defensively, but there was no fear in her eyes. "What difference does it make now?" He continued in the sad weary voice of the hopeless. "I had her, I wasted the chance, and I lost her. There is no way to make amends, and only one way I know to give her the recognition I denied her while I had the time. Vengeance is all I have left to hold to her. Now, leave me alone." She took three steps backward before turning away. He knew that he should regret shouting at her as he had, but he didn't. He also knew that any other time he would have been weeping with the loss, but he didn't. There were so many things that he knew he should be feeling and doing, but he simply lacked whatever he needed to feel or do any of them. That was all well and good anyway since he required all his energies and mental attention for his next, and probably his last, battle. He looked away, through the patchwork of tree branches above him, through to the blood red light of the setting sun. Shabranigdo's time of reign. Shabranigdo. His hand clenched at the thought of the name. Not only had the monster taken away all the friends he had in the world, he had also taken away the chance of ever killing Rezo. How he had wanted to, and he had wanted to for so long. Now the blind man was already dead and it had not been by his hand.  
  
Soft rustling sounds behind him told him that his companions were settling in for the night. He wondered if he dared do the same. The dreams had ceased ever since the night in Materon, leaving him untormented when Jaylin was near. Now that she was gone, he didn't know what would happen, but he didn't want to chance it just yet. Besides, Lina's question about using only the sword of light had risen an interesting point. It was only a sword, no matter how powerful of one, and it must be wielded by a man. All weapons are only as good as the hands in which they are used. He wondered if Gourry would be able to do it, and then he wondered if he dared use it if the blonde swordsman were to fail. They could not fail. Wasn't it always a happy ending?  
  
"Nothing ends," a voice said behind him. A voice he recognized and treasured. He knew she wasn't really there, so he did not turn toward her, but he would listen to what she would tell him. He listened for a long time, straining his ears to hear her soft voice, but she remained silent. If he had indeed ever heard her at all. Shaking his head and willing his tears away, he leaned against a tree, telling himself that if sleep wanted to claim him then he would not fight it.  
  
Shaking so badly she could barely move, Jaylin crawled across rubble that had once been Rezo's tower. At first she could not remember what she was doing there, but soon bits and pieces soon combined to show her the entire scene again. The wizard, stepping forward to prove himself as a wizard and her father going out to save him. She had went also, and then the spell was released causing an explosion. Explosion? Yes, there had been one. A magic induced wall of fire that had engulfed everything within a certain radius. A radius that she had been inside. Under some broken beams and more ruin she could make out the bodies of Zolf and Rodimus. She turned, unable to bear the sight of it. They were dead, yet she was alive. Why? She thought to herself as she lifted her trembling hands for inspection. Why was she still alive? She was shaking, but it was not from pain or shock. It was because of the power. Such power that she could feel inside of her, actually a part of her. Yet where had it come from? She wasn't sure, there were so many things here that didn't make sense. Her entire life hadn't made sense so she supposed that there was no reason that it should start now. Her clothes were ruined, burned to horrid rags that were barely staying together and would more than likely fall apart at the gentlest breeze. She pushed herself to her feet, only then realizing that her ribs were still broken and throbbing. Trying to ignore that, she looked around. Shabranigdo was gone, she was alone.   
  
A piece of something caught her eye and she slowly moved closer to inspect it. When she picked it up, she knew instantly what it was and knowing what it was brought new tears to her eyes. Zel's cloak. It was dirty and torn in a few places, but otherwise untouched. The cloak was here, but where was her Zel? She could not find him anywhere, yet she knew that he would not leave his cloak behind, ever. All of his secret objects that he kept stashed in the many pockets on the inside. He never let anyone mess with his cloak, and surely would not leave it where anyone could pick it up. Unless, of course. No, Jaylin, don't think that. Even as she told herself not to, she knew that she had to because it was the truth. Zel had probably taken off his cloak before running in to save them and gotten himself killed as well. She sobbed hard when she realized that his body, being made of stone, had probably crumbled to dust when the tower collapsed. She knew that it was only through the power that had mysteriously been stored in her body that she had lived through that event. There was only one thing left for her now. All Mestronian slaves must return to Mestronia should their masters die. Pulling Zel's cloak close around her still trembling shoulders and clutching her amazingly unharmed sword like a talisman, she slowly began her trek back to the place that had taken her memory.  
  
Eris was worried. Well, rather, she knew that she should be worried, but she felt only the sting of loss and the eagerness of seeing lord Rezo again. In the beginning, he had come to her in the form of his shadowy phantom everynight just to check on her and see how she was and how her studies were coming along. Everynight at the same time without fail. Until tonight. She had gone to the place where he usually came to her and waited for an unusual amount of time, yet he had never come. Glass tears formed and she had to blink them away and down or be cut, but she tried not to cry. Surely, he had not forgotten her. Something must have happened that he would be late. He was studying and forgot the time, perhaps, or maybe he was away from his staff that he used as a focus. There were a hundred reasons why he hadn't been able to contact her, though she knew that only one of them was the correct one. That would be the one that she had dismissed early on, but was coming back to her now stronger than ever before. Rezo's mission had failed, and her lord was dead.  
  
She clenched the tear that had mingled with his blood very hard as she tried to stop her crying. He had prepared so long and hard for what he was going to do. He had been ready for anything, so how could he be dead? Yet she knew that it was true. She knew it as surely as she knew that she was alone in this place. Now what was she to do? She couldn't leave here. There was no way she could make it outside on her own. Biting one nail, she looked around the familiar surroundings. Her eyes finally rested on the worn leather bound tomb that Rezo had left for her to study. She had only read the pages that he had marked, not daring to go any further, but now what was left to her. Instantly curious because it was an emotion that would replace the thought of her lord being dead, she picked up the book. For the first time ever she turned to the pages that she had neglected to even scan before. As she read, her eyes grew wide, and she clutched the precious tear and drop of blood ever tighter. She could do it, she had the power. It would take a little time, but she thought that she could wait long enough to accomplish it. Planning she continued with the book, wondering why it had taken her so long to find the courage to look at these pages.  
  
Zel blinked awake, wondering how he had managed to sleep so long. He could hear Lina's slow breathing. It was a soft soothing sound, about the only one that Lina could make, yet that wasn't why he liked listening to it. He liked it because she sounded like Jaylin when she breathed. He supposed that everyone made the same noise when they were asleep, especially females, and maybe it was just his over active imagination suffering still from the loss, but for some reason Lina imitated Jaylin perfectly with her breathing.  
  
He listened for a few minutes before standing to look everything over. It was still rather dark, but he could just make out the sun started its ascent to look down upon the world. This is it, he thought to himself. The time when Shabranigdo can be beaten. While the sun's rays shone down on the monster, its powers would be weakened, if only slightly. That slightly would have to be enough. Zel looked at Gourry, fast asleep, and his scabbard resting to one side. He would have to be quick and careful if he was to get it and leave before they even knew he was missing. She wouldn't approve him going by himself, but he didn't want to have to worry about them getting in the way. And should he fail, then his friends, his only friends, would be waiting for him in the next life. Taking a deep breath he inched toward the sleeping swordsman only to be stopped sharply by a rock crashing into the back of his head.  
  
Crying out a little, he whirled to see what had happened only to find Lina standing and staring at him with yet another rock in her hand ready to throw at him should he move.  
  
"I know what you're thinking," she said in a sharp voice. "And you might as well forget it."  
  
"Indeed," he muttered staring straight into her eyes, hoping to break her will down by their coldness. She was not intimidated, only held the rock with the easy grace of someone who will not miss what they are aiming at.  
  
"I thought we all agreed that we would beat Shabranigdo together," she accused, tossing the rock a little now and watching him. "So no going solo, understood?" Zel gave one last look to Gourry, who was awake and clasping his sword belt on so it wouldn't have worked to try to take the blade now.  
  
"Very well," he sighed knowing that there was no way he could ever go against Lina's wishes in anything. She looked at him hard, as if trying to see if he were telling her the truth. At last she nodded and turned away to pick up her own sword belt.  
  
"Now all we have to do is find him," she said as she looked off toward the rising sun.  
  
"Lina," Gourry interrupted her thought process with her name and his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What is it?" She didn't turn to look at him.  
  
"We don't have to find him." Zel snapped his gaze to where the blonde man had his fixed in an almost hypnotic state.  
  
"Oh?" Lina seemed not even to be listening. "Why not?"  
  
"Because," Zel said, trying not to call attention to himself by moving too much. "He's already found us." Before Lina had a chance to even look surprised, Zel pushed her down to avoid the spell that had been thrown on them. The dark lord loomed over their company, blocking out the sun's faint light. Zel couldn't think, and he could only barely move. Far far above him, he could hear the monster laughing at their pathetic attempt to stand against him. Another bolt of power sent them scattering.  
  
"Fools," Shabranigdo's voice was the deep booming of thunder mixed with the grating of dead leaves. "Think you that you can truly stop me?" Zel looked at Lina who was cowering in a place where there was no shelter, and again at Gourry close by. He thought that he might have an idea, but if it would work or not he had no way of knowing.   
Lina looked at him in desperation while Gourry's eyes only held hate for the being that laughed at them.  
  
Taking a deep breath to gather his courage, Zel stepped out directly into the clearing that Shabranigdo had burned with his magic induced fire and drew his sword. Vaguely he could hear Lina's surprised gasp, but it was subdued by the raging laughter of the dark lord. Zel stood at the ready.  
  
"I have went against every spell in creation," the monster told him as he waited with sword held high. "Yet you come at me with steel and naught else." Zel replied nothing as he took three steps forward. Then he rushed with all his demonic speed, his sword out and prepared for the killing stroke. Shabranigdo's laugh cut off as he raised one of his clawed hands and sent a wave of wind that catapulted Zel backwards and smashed his body against a tree. At the shock and pain, he sank to the ground, unable to move for a time. Through a foggy haze, he saw Lina rush out casting a Gob Flare as she ran. Shabranigdo blocked the spell and sent it ricocheting back at her. Eyes wide in surprise, she dropped low just in time to avoid her own spell.  
  
"Gourry!" She cried almost without realizing she had said his name. The swordsman leaped out to stand protectively over her crouched body, holding his bladeless weapon ready. They exchanged one knowing look before he turned away.  
  
"Light come forth!" He yelled brandishing the blade that had blazed from his hilt. Screaming some sort of battlecry, he charged the monster, confident that the sword of light had been able to kill a monster before. As Gourry slashed downward, Zel leapt up too quickly and had to grab onto the tree to steady himself and stare at what was going on. Shabranigdo had caught the blade! The legendary sword of light had been caught and was being held by Shabranigdo. Gourry, as surprised as any, pulled on his weapon to get the monster to release his grip.  
  
"Ridiculous," the monster snorted as he stared down at Gourry. Then he sent a spell coursing down the sword, through the sword, and into the man who held it. Gourry screamed, sinking to his knees, but he still clenched the hilt tightly in both hands, unwilling to part with his heritage even if it meant he would die trying to keep it.  
  
"Freeze Arrow!" Lina cried desperately trying to call the monster's attention from her bodyguard. The lance of ice crashed directly into him, causing him to release the sword of light and with it Gourry, who ran a few steps before his legs gave out and he was forced to kneel, helpless. Lina cast a fireball almost over her shoulder at the monster as she hurried to help Gourry get to the semi protection of the trees.   
  
Zel tested his strength as he took a timid step away from his support. He took a deep breath, calming himself for what he was going to do. He thought it might work. Even Shabranigdo had to obey the natural laws of order. It was a simple, but powerful spell, that was neither of black or white magic. The only spell he could think of that might work since it was of the elemental nature. He stood, concentrating on what he was going to do, while he sensed the ruby eyed glare of his adversary weighing him in every aspect.  
  
"Zel!" Lina cried in warning, just as he dropped in a crouch, avoiding the fireburst that went right over his head. "Get out of there before you get killed." Gourry rushed outward, the sword of light held high, as if to save him with it, but Zel wouldn't allow him to get too close.  
  
"Stay back," he snarled as he raised his hand for the spell. "Infinite Earth, mother of all that lives, let thy power gather in my hand." He felt the power rushing to him, collecting in his upturned palm. In a rapid flurry of motion he thrust his hand deep into the earth, commanding it to do his will with the words, "Flare Howl." A ripple shivered through the soil in a path directly toward the monster. For an instant, Shabranigdo looked surprised at the rising earth that began to cover him. He cried one last bone chilling cry before he completely disappeared into the earth, buried and held there by the element of the soil. Zel allowed himself a smile as everything grew quiet except for the sound of one bird chirping peacefully somewhere. He thrust his right shoulder back in a gesture that would have flared out his cape for the full dramatic effect if he still had a cape. In his triumphant ecstasy, he had forgotten that he had lost it in Rezo's tower. Lina and Gourry were suddenly there, standing next to him, but he could barely see them since he was so caught up in the relief that it had actually worked.   
  
"Is he dead?" Gourry asked hesitantly. As Zel began to raise himself up to answer the question, a shudder in the earth made him crouch low again lest he lose his balance and fall. Lina and Gourry came down with him, and all watched intently the place where Shabranigdo had disappeared. Geysers of water that had been trapped for eternity underneath the earth's crust suddenly shot upward in several places all around them. As they looked about trying to puzzle out exactly what was going on, Shabranigdo's laugh sounded as he himself raised up from where Zel had imprisoned him.  
  
"An excellent attempt," the monster congratulated with an amused tone. "However, you should use lava, like this." He gestured at the skyrockets of water and they suddenly shot up anew with the molten liquid. Red clouds gathered all around them and the trees disappeared into the fog. Isolated and unprotected all they could do was stare. Unconsciously, they backed up into a ring, each facing out and ready for what was to happen. Shabranigdo twisted his fingers and the lava began to take form. It shaped itself into a fire dragon. Or at least, that's the closest term that Zel could come up with when he saw what was happening. As soon as one was formed then it would break free from the still bubbling up lava to hover in the air menacingly above them while another would form where it had been. As there were more and more of them, they began to swoop down instead of just hover, getting closer and closer to the company.   
  
When they were low enough, Gourry swung his sword at one with all his might, slashing it through the neck. With a terrible cry, the thing turned dark and crumbled to dust. So they could be killed, and easily at that, but there were so many it would take an eternity to destroy them all and that would take the energy they couldn't afford to use.  
  
"This will take forever," Gourry muttered as he took precious time to study the remains of the fire dragon. Zel looked up, knowing that all of them would swoop down in a moment, all at once to make quick work of them.  
  
"Then I'll settle this one," he said, commanding the spell to gather. "Flare Web!" The spell shot up from his fingers surrounding them with a dome shaped web of protection just as the dragons charged downward. Without even realizing what he was doing, Zel grabbed Lina and pushed her down. Protecting her with his body should the web fail while Gourry stood over them with his sword prepared. A tremendous crash sounded as the dragons collided with the web and were obliterated. Zel tensed over Lina as he felt the web begin to break with the force of the impact. It collapsed just as the dust of the last dragon sifted down to settle over the trio.   
  
They had one moment to stand and get their perspective of the scene. Lina turned to give Zel a congratulatory smile that turned to a look of shock at something behind him. Zel glanced over his shoulder to see one last fire dragon swooping low right at them. He had only time enough to grab Lina's shoulders and shove her clear. He heard her screech his name in horror as the dragon crashed into him. The impact was incredible, knocking him to the ground and the heat was overwhelming.   
  
Lina screamed, but it was too late for the warning to be of any use. The dragon was perched atop Zel, tearing at him with its claws of fire. Although Zel's hands came up instinctively to protect his head, it wasn't going to do much good. All she seemed to be able to do was watch as the dragon ripped through cloth and even scratched through Zel's stone skin until the ivory rags that had once been his tunic were soaking up his blood.  
  
It was Gourry who saved him. As she just stared in amazed horror, the swordsman ran forward to slash the dragon down. It died with one last cry, leaving Zel's motionless body. She was about to run forward to see if he was still breathing when Shabranigdo sent another wall of wind tearing at them. They were all swept back with the force, Gourry and Lina tensed to keep themselves from being thrown, but Zel was whipped back into a piling of earth that had risen during the battle. The chimera collapsed into a little heap and lay still. She stared at him, feeling a sorrow sting at her followed quickly by rage. He had saved her, yet she had done nothing for him. Her muscles clenched and she had to turn away from him.  
  
"Lina, look out!" Gourry shouted barely in time for her to dodge to the side. It seemed Shabranigdo's amusement at their efforts of defeating him was waning and quickly. He was going to really start fighting now. The Flare Arrow whizzed past, but not without catching her on the thigh. She winced and had to catch her balance with the help of Gourry's arm that he reached out to her. She held onto him tightly with one hand as she used the other to cast a simple healing spell.  
  
"A futile gesture," Shabranigdo told her as he watched for a moment. He was savoring her despair and their helplessness. All of their negative feelings and pain he was drinking in, loving every moment, enjoying every scream. The monster at last grew weary of watching them huddle together for protection that they truly could not get, and raised his hand once more. This time it wasn't a wall of wind, but a bolt of pure white searing energy. Gourry thrust her away from him in order to save her and was caught straight in the chest. He gasped, his mouth and eyes both open wide, unable to move, held motionless by the power of the unfamiliar spell.  
  
"No!" She screamed, leaping from the ground and drawing her sword in the same motion. With precision she brought the sword down to deflect the energy off the steel and away from Gourry. He gave a soft sigh before collapsing to the ground, battered and bloody. She tossed her melted blade away as she knelt down to turn him on his back. Laying her head on his chest she could not hear his heartbeat nor feel his breathing. In panic she was about to see if she could bring him back from the dead, but she did not have the time. The dark lord shot a fireball at them and she only barely had the moment it took for her to cast a Freeze Arrow to cancel its effects. She stayed near Gourry for one second more to draw the sword of light, and then she ran away from his body hoping that he was only stunned badly and he would come back on his own for she could not help him now. Even as she had the thought she knew that it was not true. Gourry would never come back.  
  
She was alone, her comrades were dead and still they had not won. Her head lowered in defeat and she lifted the sword so the dark lord could see it, ready to lay it down to let him know that she had given up.  
  
"Enough!" Came a voice behind her. Surprised, she looked back to see Zel, shaking and unable to get up but at least he was still alive. It took all his will to push himself to his knees, and even then he swayed, but he was determined not to fall. "Do you intend to destroy the world you so longed to see? Rezo!" Rezo? Of course! His spirit was still trapped within Shabranigdo's reborn body. With that realization came their last hope. Lina looked down at the sword of light and said a prayer. If this didn't work, then it would truly be the end. She gave one last look to Gourry and her heart was pierced. This was their last chance.  
  
"Sword, give me your strength," she whispered and the blade seemed to quiver in her hands. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the deadly attack spell. If she were to miscast it she would be sucked into a vortex of darkness from which she would never return. Caught between worlds for eternity. She stared hard at Shabranigdo, who wasn't moving at all. Perhaps he was waiting because of curiosity of what she was going to do, but she didn't think so. Rezo had heard Zelgadis, and was keeping the monster at bay with all of his power. She would have to do this soon for he would not be able to hold the dark lord for long. Closing her eyes, she recited the spell, feeling it come to her with such unimaginable power that she trembled because of it.  
  
"Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night. King of darkness who shines like gold upon the sea of chaos. I call upon thee and swear myself to thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. Sword accept this darkness and obey my command." The world was encompassed in night as a darkness so intense it was almost tangible covered the sword, folding it in velvet black. Lightning shot up and down the sword as Lina clung to it tighter to keep it under her control. Her eyes squeezed shut, concentrating all her will on keeping the spell from getting away from her. She was going to need help to finish it completely. For that she would need Rezo. He was their last chance. "Rezo, Priest of Red, now you must choose. Will you let your soul be consumed by Shabranigdo or will you take your vengeance upon him?" The spell heightened almost to the point of destroying her. She could feel it tearing through her with such power that she had to lock her knees in place or stumble to the ground and lose the small control she had. Then Rezo made his choice. His soul erupted up from Shabranigdo's body, leaving the monster in full possession of himself and able to destroy her. He would have if it had not been for Rezo. She felt him surround her, and it was not what she expected. His presence was soothing and comforting as he wrapped her and gave her what strength he could. Her hands that held the sword steadied.  
  
"It is finished," Rezo spoke in her head and she nodded in agreement. She unclosed her eyes in time to see Shabranigdo gather himself for the spell that would destroy her before she had time to fully cast her own.  
  
"Giga Slave!" She screamed releasing all the power that had gathered within her. The shocking darkness coursed through her body with such force that she gasped. Her muscles tensed involuntarily, until Rezo eased her into only the channel for the power. Once she was relaxed, the flow was easier to handle, though she suspected that it was Rezo who was taking all the burden of keeping the spell controlled.  
  
All at once it was gone from her, engulfing Shabranigdo in darkness. The lightning flickered dangerously and the peculiar wind of magic whipped all around. She bent her head down against the wind, her arms held up and crossed in front of her face to shield it. As the spell took its full effect, a particularly strong burst of wind pushed Lina backward until she was close to Gourry's body. Without a thought she grabbed his cold hand and threw herself over him should something unexpected happen. Through the swirling dust she could barely make out Zel, curled and unmoving. It was only a few moments that the spell continued before its power was spent, but as always it seemed to take a lot longer in the blinding wind. When it stopped, Lina risked a glance at Shabranigdo, who stood still where he shouldn't have been standing at all after being the object of a Giga Slave. Blinking tears away, she lay her head on Gourry's unmoving chest.  
  
"Your despair is unfounded," came Shabranigdo's voice, strained and soft. The words were his last. Surprised, Lina sat up to look at the monster who crumbled before her very eyes. Gasping, she rose to her feet, only to find that the spell had taken more out of her than she had anticipated and she ended up on the ground again. She stared at the place where the dark lord had been, the fact that she had actually done it leaving her more numb than anything. A slight sound at her left told her that Zel had crawled to her. They looked at each other, but no words were said. What should have been a joyous occasion was not what either of them had expected it to be.  
  
"Thank you," Rezo's voice sounded in front of them. Their gazes snapped to him, his shade and soul that was walking toward them. His wide blue eyes opened for the first time and his staff had been thrown away. "My friends." There he was, the man who had started it all, yet Zel felt no anger towards him. He had harbored the delicious feeling of killing him for years and now it meant nothing. The soul of the sorcerer knelt before Gourry, gently touching his forehead. He smiled an apology to Zel and then poured the rest of his life energy into the swordsman and vanished. The chimera stared at the ground, too weak to feel anything. He would have to cast a healing spell on himself soon, he could feel his blood running down his back.  
  
"What happened?" Gourry's voice rasped as he sat up.  
  
"We won," Lina answered in the same soft voice.   
  
"Oh," was all that the swordsman could say as he stood and offered Lina his hand to help her up also. Zel smiled at them, seeing just how close this experience had made them. Though seeing them that way brought a memory that turned his smile to sorrow. He stared at the ground for long moments until he felt Lina's hand touching his forehead lightly. Starting a bit at the gentleness of her fingers, he reached up to add his power to hers as she must be exhausted in magical ability. The cold of the healing spell rushed through him, taking with it most of the pain, but little of the weariness. Supporting each other, they all stood and looked over the burned and ruined patch of forest that had been the battle ground to determine the fate of the world. Gourry's hand slipped around Lina's shoulders as though it were the most natural position in the world and he turned her around to begin walking away from the most triumphant experience they would ever know. Zel followed three steps behind in complete silence.  
  
"Look Lina," Gourry said softly bending down a little as he was so much taller than she was. "Look what's up ahead." Over the hill, almost glowing with the noon day sun, was a town of immense magnitude. When she saw it a smile brightened her face and her eyes sparkled.  
  
"Atlas City," she said in an amused tone and sighed, shaking her head slightly. "What do you know. Gourry?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Now that you've fulfilled your quest of accompanying me here, are you going to leave me?" The giant swordsman gave the sorceress' shoulders a slight squeeze.  
  
"Not yet. I've kind of gotten used to having you around."  
  
"Me too." Zel almost choked, trying to keep his emotions away as he had always done in the past. Somehow, it wasn't quite working. He shook off the tears, hoping his voice at least would not betray him. Bravely, he tapped Gourry on the shoulder to call his attention.  
  
"I'm afraid that this is where we must part ways," he told them. Lina's eyes told him that she was disappointed to hear that.   
  
"Oh Zel," she said softly. The question of why he was going and where he was going asked silently.   
  
"It would not be to anyone's advantage for a man such as myself to be seen in a city so large," he explained. She nodded in understanding, offering her hand for farewell. He gave her a small smile, shaking her hand then walking off in another direction, toward Tegyrn.  
  
"Zelgadis!" Gourry called after him. "Hey Zelgadis, wait!" But he would not look back. He just lifted his right hand with two of his fingers raised in a victorious "V." As he walked away he wondered if he would ever see them again, and if it would matter if he did. As for now, he was going home, where all of this had begun, to sort things out.   
  
  
  



	13. What Happened to Jaylin

Chapter 13: What Happened to Jaylin  
  
Jaylin awoke to the sound that she had prayed never to hear again, that of a sword clanking against its scabbard as it was drawn. A little nervous, she pulled Zel's cloak closer and sat up to regard who had entered her company with such slyness. With her motion, the blade came down to rest with its point at her throat. If she moved, she died. She stared up at a tall man, a very tall man, silhouetted in the rising sun. He was dressed in a forest green from his boots to his cloak, and he wore an interesting type of hat. It had a wide brim, and it rose up to a point, it's coloring also green. His curly black hair hung around his shoulders, and she guessed it was long enough for him to tie it back away from his face. A lock of it came down to cover one of his deep brown eyes. His skin was tan as if he spent his entire life outdoors, and he had the confidence of someone who was very skilled with the weapon he held at her throat. Who he was and why he wanted her where the things that she wanted to know most about him, however.  
  
"We can make this easy, or I can find another way," he told her in the arrogant voice of a warrior who has never known defeat. He smirked down to her, the point pushing slightly, just enough to draw a drop of blood. She looked at the weapon, then raised an eyebrow to him. He wouldn't kill her, she knew, but she still didn't understand what his business with her was. "It is your choice." She nodded, only the barest dip of her head, slowly moving backwards away from the sharp point.  
  
"Fine," she said, putting fear into her voice for his benefit. She wanted him to think that she was frightened of him, at least for right now.  
  
"Good," he smiled slightly as he sheathed the weapon. She breathed an audible sigh of relief that the steel was no longer at her neck. "Get up." Holding the cloak tightly, she rose, realizing for the first time just how much taller he was than she. Then again, everyone was taller than she was, so this was nothing new. Her ribs, that had been blissfully beneath her notice, now flared up in pain at the movement. She winced and hoped he did not see. It would not do for him to see her in pain or he would take advantage of it. He produced a rope from one of his cape's hidden pockets and he motioned for her to hold her hands out.  
  
"There's no need for that," she told him. Looking up sharply, he held still, staring at her.  
  
"Isn't there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then know this: if you run, I will be right behind you." Now that there was no longer any danger of being impaled she felt it safer to allow herself her own easy arrogance that she also had a sword at her belt.  
  
"And where are we going?" She raised an eyebrow for emphasis.  
  
"Mestronia, where you should be." She bit her tongue just before she blurted out that she was going there anyway. What had Berihn done? Why was he looking for her? Sending a bounty hunter after her even by the looks of it. She might as well go along with him. She needed to get to Mestronia, and he wanted to get paid for finding her. It seemed that there would be no harm in having him for a companion for a little while, as long as he didn't try tying her up again. They stared at each other for another moment, analyzing every detail. At last, he nodded and broke their staring match.  
  
"Walk on ahead, I plan on getting you there by tomorrow morning." Tomorrow morning? To do that they would have to walk all night. She would have to discuss this. Her pace for the past few days had been slow and easy, and as it was she was exhausted, and her ribs had yet to be properly bound. The power was still there also, throbbing in her veins with every pulse almost to the point of pain. She did not know what it was or how she was to deal with it so she had no choice but to let it alone.  
  
As she walked, she watched her surroundings in old habit. They had reached the part where the forests that populated most of the west and southland area gave way to the rolling grasslands of the east with their greenery waist high for the man, and even higher for her. If she had slept in the actual grass, the man never would have found her, but she had slept under the only tree she had seen for miles in her extreme fatigue the night before. Only dimly did she wonder how he had found her in the first place. He must be a very talented tracker to be able to follow her all this time. Or perhaps he had just stumbled upon her by chance, or maybe Zel had just been careless in his hurry to catch Lina. Whatever the reason, it did not matter now. He was here, and she was his prisoner in the least sense of the word only. She could hear him behind her, walking with great strides that she could never hope to match as she managed to get herself tangled in the long grasses very easily. Panting already, and pulling the cloak around her even though it was getting hot with the raising of the sun, she realized that she was in for a long day that wouldn't stop when that glowing sphere had sought out its rest.   
  
They continued, mile following mile, until Jaylin lost track and just limped onward on bruised legs, made so by tripping on the hidden rocks and such. The man gave her a bite of bread when they reached a creek running through their path, allowing her to eat and drink and also rest, if only for a few minutes. The man offered no information about himself, but he did not question her either. He didn't care about her at all, and that was to be expected of such a person. He roved all over the known world, alone, just for the sake of money, and he was used to not saying a word for days at a time. She demanded nothing of him as she just wanted to get to Mestronia so she would be rid of her strange new traveling companion.  
  
When the sun was just touching the horizon, her captor seemed to grow weary of her stumbling walk as he called for a halt. At first, the words "we can stop here" meant nothing and she kept walking. The man thought perhaps that she was going to bolt as she did not stop when he said she could so he found it necessary to go after her. She did not even realize what was going on when he tackled her from behind, his hands roughly abusing her already damaged ribs as he shoved her to the ground. She twisted automatically, her instinct in control, kicking him off of her and scrambling back to her feet. Choking in pain, she just stood there, doubled over. The bounty hunter regarded her shaking form with an interesting glint in his eye. He waited for her to straighten, his arms crossed making no noise at all. Once she was standing upright, he again produced the rope.  
  
"I told you," she stuttered. "There's no need for that."  
  
"So you say." He took a step toward her and she reached for her blade.  
  
"You won't," she commanded. He smirked at her, and indeed she probably looked most comical. A tiny little thing like her, shaking with pain, holding to her hilt like she was. Not paying any attention to her warning, he came forward, grabbing her roughly by her arm. She ripped from his grasp with a glare, losing her balance in the process and landing in the grass.  
  
"Hold still," he growled in a voice so soft she strained to hear the words. She could feel the power pulsing stronger as if in reaction to her emotions. Shaking her head, trying to get it under control, she did not see the bounty hunter reaching for her again. In his persistence to have her tied, he made the mistake of touching her. Although she did not know how it happened, it was her fault that the man was flung backwards as soon as he had made contact with her. Confused, she got to her feet again and watched as he did the same.  
  
"Don't," he said as he came over to her, careful this time not to touch her in any way. "Do that again."  
  
"Then don't touch me," she said as if she knew exactly what she had done even though she truly had no idea. It had been the power that had risen with her anger and frustration. It had suppressed itself now, but she could still feel it there, though not as strong as before. In his fury at being humiliated by her, he drew his sword, sticking it into her back enough to bring blood.  
  
"Let's get going," he said prodding her with the point of the blade. "We've wasted enough time here as it is." She shied away from it and continued walking, hoping the man would not trip and impale her since he would not remove the weapon from it's position. As she staggered along she wondered how far it was to Mestronia, and if she could make it all the way there.  
  
"Good," Berihn approved of Risper's impressive memory of the many complicated forms of conduct that were included in slave etiquette. The girl remembered everything exactly the way it was said. It had been well worth the time it had taken to break her since her will had completely turned from being against him to serving him with every ounce of her being. She had risen to Gray very quickly and would progress to Silver in another week or so. The white haired girl bowed her head down modestly and even blushed a bit at the compliment. "You will do very well, I think."  
  
"Thank you, master," she said softly in her quiet voice. A voice that all of her masters that she would have in her life would be delighted to listen to when it was raised in song or even just in speech. He nodded to her with a smile of genuine affection.  
  
"You may go now." She dropped a deep curtsey and hurried out of the drilling chamber. Berihn followed a little more slowly, switching his direction as he would be making his rounds of the building to see if everything was as it should be. Before he had gotten very far, Phrostfern caught up to him, kneeling to give whatever message she had for him.  
  
"Rise, child, and report."  
  
"There is a man here, master. A bounty hunter with one of ours, I think."  
  
"Ah yes. I shall be in the entrance chamber as soon as I can. My thanks." She nodded and scurried off back to her daily tasks. So his missing slave had finally been found, and alive at that. He was sure that she would have an interesting tale to tell. There must be some reason why she had left her master, and he was very curious to know what that was.   
  
As he entered the main chamber, he had to stand still with shock. Yes, that was Meleyal that stood there, her features told him that much. She was standing hunched over with exhaustion while the bounty hunter stood over her with his sword drawn. With another moment's analysis, Berihn saw blood stains soaked into the ivory cloak that she clung to as if it would be her destruction to lose it. True, he had at one time thought of killing her, but seeing her now the way she was, that she had been treated so harshly, was infuriating.  
  
"Hide your steel," he commanded gruffly, giving the bounty hunter a glare. The man stared back for a moment before accepting that Berihn was in charge during this situation. Reskir, who happened to be passing through the main chamber on some errand or another, stopped to watch the goings on just in case his lord should need assistance against this stranger. "What have you done?"  
  
"Brought back a runaway," he replied, no emotion betrayed in his voice.  
  
"Look at her. Look at the damage that you have done to her. Think you that she will still be worth something should any of those sword wounds scar?" The man shrugged.  
  
"Tis not a matter for the likes of me. You offered a price for her head, and I have brought it to you with it still resting on those pretty white shoulders. There are others who wouldn't have been so courteous as I." Reskir took a few steps forward to let Berihn know he was there. He felt his presence more than heard his foottread. The master of Mestronia's fingers moved in secret gesture to the younger man, commanding him to stand between the slave and the bounty hunter. Besides that, the girl looked none too steady as she stood swaying and dazed.  
  
"There is no excuse for your conduct," Berihn lectured though there was no point to it. "And if honor would permit me to with hold the bounty I would. However, you neither value my thoughts or that girl's suffering. Take your money and begone from my sight." A pouch was untied from Berihn's belt and thrown in the man's general direction. In a dash of motion, he caught the pouch with one hand and bowed all in the same movement.  
  
"My thanks, lord," the words would have been respectful if they had not been said in that tone. "Should you require my services again, I'll be at your call."  
  
"And the day that I require any of your aid will be long in coming, I assure you."  
  
"We'll see." He gave one more mocking bow, and gave one last look at the slave touching the brim of his hat to her before leaving. Once he was gone, Berihn was at liberty to turn all his attention to his supposed runaway. As he took over the job of supporting her from Reskir, his Whitemaster gave him a sad look and shook his head.   
  
"Prepare a room," Berihn told him, slipping his arm about Meleyal's waist, and offering her his other wrist to cling to. "And find some decent clothing. Oh, and be sure it is white." Reskir started a bit at the last, but nodded in acceptance. After he had scurried off, Berihn looked down to really study the girl who clung to him. Meleyal he had called her. He had never even known her true name. He guided her over to the stone bench that was built into the wall, noticing for the first time how pale she was and how hard she trembled and how dark the circles under her eyes were.  
  
"I'm sorry, daughter," he said in soft tones as she eased herself down. "But you know that I must ask you some questions before you may stay one night under this roof."  
  
"I know, master," she added the appellation out of habit, though she did harbor genuine affection for the man even after all he had put her through. "However, I cannot guarantee answers for your satisfaction." He shook his head at the last, wondering where it had come from. In the end, he decided to ignore it.  
  
"How long have you been traveling?" He had done this so many times the questions came almost without thought.  
  
"I could not tell you truly, master," she whispered staring at the floor as he stared down at her. He waited another moment, but she offered nothing other than that.  
  
"From where have you come?"  
  
"From the tower of Rezo, master." He started, thrown off guard. She had just come from his tower? How could that be? He would have to question her further, but that would be later. Once this first interrogation was over she would have to have some medical attention.  
  
"Why have you come?"  
  
"I have no other place to go, master." He could hear the tears begin in her voice, and even saw one drop to the stone floor. In a gesture unusual to him, he laid his hand gently on her shoulder as if to lend her the strength she needed to finish this. He would have waited for the entire thing, but it was a custom many years older than he that could not be disregarded.  
  
"Have you been dishonored?"  
  
"No master," her voice strained to answer.  
  
"What has become of the man to which you were sold?" She bent completely double, clutching the cloak about her so hard her knuckles were white, and it was some minutes before she could speak.  
  
"He has died," she stuttered in a tone so harsh with raw pain he waited even longer before asking her the very last question. She must have cared for him so much, but surely Rezo could not be dead if she had been sold to him. Why he had seen the mage himself only a short time ago. This truly had to be sorted out. He called his patience to him to restrain himself from asking her right then. There was only one more question.  
  
"What is your age?"  
  
"Soon to be nineteen autumns." He did not even notice that she had failed to add the honorific since the time he had begun the questions about her previous master. Something complicated had taken place, and he was caught up in it. Somehow, it all centered on this one small girl. Carefully, he bent down to kiss her on the top of her head. She cringed away from the gesture.  
  
"Welcome home, daughter," he said.   
  
"No," she responded. "This is not my home." He decided to ignore that as well. She was tired, she was hurting, and she was not thinking clearly. Once she was feeling better she would not speak thus. Of course this was her home. It was the only home she could remember, or at least it should be.  
  
"Now then," he went on. "What exactly did that horrid person do to you?" He tugged a bit on the cloak so he could examine her back, but she would not release her hold on it. "Meleyal, I have to inspect these. Please, you must cooperate if I'm to help you at all." Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, she removed the cloak, though she held it fiercely. There was not much left to her clothes at all so the many cuts on her back were in plain view. He winced for her, wondering why the bounty hunter had not just tied her like any other would have done. Reskir returned, waiting patiently by the entrance to a corridor that led to the returned slave's chambers. "Come, daughter, so we can get you cleaned up and on a proper mattress." He stood quickly, but when he pulled her up she gave a small gasp. Her nails dug into his arm and her eyes squeezed shut, it was only then that Berihn realized how fevered she was. "What is it?" He asked, bending down to hear what she would say.  
  
"My ribs," she croaked, trying to stand upright. "My ribs are broken." Berihn cursed, watching her shaking before him. He wondered if it would have been the least cruel to have just killed her like he had planned. Reskir came forward, sympathy shining in his gaze.  
  
"May I?" He asked politely, holding his arms out for the tiny girl. She nodded slightly, reaching out for him since she was no longer able to stand on her own. He gathered her to him and waited a few moments until she was ready before picking her up. "I'll care for her," he told Berihn as he started out of the room. His lord nodded acceptance, gave the door and the vanished bounty hunter one last curse, and left in the opposite direction. As he walked, Meleyal buried her face in his chest, he was someone she knew, and he was someone she trusted. Reskir would not hurt her, ever. It is safe here, she told herself. You're safe now. Yet she knew that she would be sold again, once her ribs were healed and it was made certain that her wounds would not scar. Before she would not have been sold again due to her left hand, but Berihn had called her daughter, meaning that she was a White now and therefore it was inevitable that she would again be sold.  
  
Although the mattress was soft, and Reskir was as gentle as he possibly could be when he set her down on it, it jolted her ribs just enough to cause her to moan. She felt her eyes roll back in her head for a moment before she could again focus on anything. Reskir slipped a hand into hers to let her know that he was still there and he needed for her to pay attention to him.  
  
"I've sent for a healer," he told her. "To set your ribs for you. How long have they been broken?"  
  
"Days," was the only answer she could think of.   
  
"Wretched man. Who did he think he was anyway? To think that he could just. ."  
  
"No, it. .it wasn't him. . .It was. . ." her words trailed off as she thought of who had broken her ribs.   
  
"Here, I did not mean to make you cry. You're going to have to trust me for a little while. First thing is for you to trust me with the care of that cloak." She did not even realize that she still had a death grip on that piece of material. He pried her fingers off of it, soothing her protests by telling her that he was just putting it out of the way for a while so he could clean the blood from it. In the end, she was too exhausted to fight for it. "I'll give it back, I promise." He knelt beside the pallet, assuring her that he wasn't going anywhere until the healer came, and even then he wouldn't leave her alone. She didn't know why he thought that she needed him there, but if he wanted to stay then who was she to say anything of it. For the next few hours, she dozed on and off, until the healer came. He was a soft spoken older man as most of his profession were, with soft gray eyes that had seen much suffering and dark hair that had streaks of gray running through it at the temples. With a small pair of scissors, he cut her rags of clothing from her, handing them to Reskir to dispose of. She saw the slight wince as he looked at her swollen and bruised ribs. She had touched herself there once, and only once, and knew that there was an impression since the bones had been kicked in.  
  
"We'll have to do those last," he told her in a soft tone. "Let's look at your back while you're still awake enough to move." With Reskir's help she turned over on her stomach, bracing herself up on her elbows so she would not put any pressure on her chest. The sword wounds were not deep, but there were many of them and most of them connected in a pattern of bloody gashes. After all the blood had been washed off so they were clearly visible, the healer applied a salve that smelled awful and stung much worse than she had expected. She bit her lip, telling herself that it was not as bad as it could have been. What was to come after would make it pale in comparison.  
  
"I'll need your assistance, good sir," the healer was saying as he helped her to sit up. Reskir came from his position against the wall where he would be out of the way.  
  
"What do you need me to do?"  
  
"I need you to hold her arms behind her. Yes, just like that. I'm going to have to reposition these before I can bind them." He shuffled around in his bag of medicines until he came up with a piece of leather. "Bite down on this," he told her, placing it against her lips.. "I'll not having you biting your own tongue off while I do this." For the briefest of moments, she was afraid. Reskir held her tightly and the fact that she could not move put her into an almost panicked state. She bit down on the leather as she was told and waited. The healer put cool hands on her fevered torso, prodding as gently as he could to see exactly where her bones had put themselves. At last, he nodded to himself and placed both hands on either side of her. "I'm sorry," were the last words she heard as he began to push with all his might, trying to get her ribs to return to their original position. She was glad of Reskir or she would have dishonored herself by struggling away, and she was grateful for that piece of leather or she would have deafened herself with her own screams. When it seemed that she could handle it no longer, her body gave her the greatest relief it could. She was finally able to black out into numb darkness.  
  
To Zel's eyes, Tegyrn seemed much smaller than it had the last time he was there. That had been almost four years ago. A lot had happened in that short amount of time, and the experiences he had went through made the small valley seem even smaller. He made his careful trek down the steep trail that led to the village, wondering what kind of homecoming it would be. There was no one there that would even recognize him, and there was no one there that he wanted to. He knew exactly how he had left his home, and if he was lucky, he would meet no one from the actual town at all. As he walked down he remembered that there was someone that he did have to see. Jaylin's mother, Tyarli. He owed her at least the knowledge of what had happened to her only child and her husband. She was a timid woman, if he was remembering her correctly. Unusually small, like her daughter, although her hair was the color of spun gold instead of the strange blue silver that Jaylin possessed even though it did not run in any genetic line that Zel was aware of. The thing he remembered most clear out of all Ty's traits were her eyes. That was not unusual since eyes were what he tended to look at most often when he spoke, and hers were different. They were so large it gave her the look of childlike innocence, though she had seen too much for that, and their coloring was the softest and deepest brown, with flecks of green and gold here and there making the entire effect dazzling. He remembered those the most vividly. Yes, he did have to visit Tyarli, if only for a few moments.  
  
He entered the outskirts of the village in the late afternoon. There weren't any people about, save one young boy at the local well. It took him a moment, but he eventually recognized the youth as Leston, Jaylin's younger brother. The young man of fifteen was busy drawing water and did not even notice when Zel came up to him.  
  
"Good morrow, lad," Zel greeted, standing so he could face the boy. Leston looked up startled from the bucket and almost dropped it when he saw who it was. His blue eyes grew wide and he began to back away, the bucket held in front of him as if for protection. "What's wrong, Leston? Surely, you remember me?" The youth turned and would have run for all his life if Zel hadn't been quick to catch him by one arm. The bucket of water splashed and fell from his hands. Leston at first tried to pull free, but gave up when he realized he was held in a grip of stone.  
  
"What is going on? You know me, it's Zelgadis. You couldn't have forgotten me, I haven't been gone all that long." He wriggled in Zel's hands, though Zel would not release him until he had an answer. "Tell me and I'll let you go."  
  
"There," Leston said softly, lifting one finger to point at something that was fastened to the well. "Look there and have your answer." Still holding the boy, Zel inspected the piece of parchment. It was a charcoal sketching of him, and also Lina and Gourry. Someone had put a bounty on his head, though why anyone would do that he had no idea. "Will you let me go now?"  
  
"Do you know who posted this?"  
  
"No, I don't." Zelgadis looked around, giving their surroundings a brief wary glance.  
  
"Give a message to your mother. Tell her I've returned and that I must speak with her. I'll be waiting for her at my home, she knows where it is." Leston nodded, satisfying Zel enough to allow him to break free. The boy grabbed the empty water bucket and ran in the direction of his house. Well and good then. Zel gave nervous glances about him, then made his way out of town casually, knowing that no one else had recognized him just yet. Now all he had to do was get home and wait for Tyarli to come.  
  
In his span of time that he had been wandering all over creation, his home had remained unchanged. It wasn't much of a home, just a sheltered space under a precipice. He had a bed of two logs filled with bits of moss and other such material, grown rotted with his absence. Truly, his house was no different than sleeping under wayward pines as he had done for the past four years. As he came close to inspect, there was no feeling of being home. He just felt empty. There was no meaning for him now, no drive, no sense of purpose. Strange, he pondered as he looked through his dishes, the carving of which he had taken such pride in so long ago. Strange that he should have lost his will to live when he had only been roaming the earth for twenty one autumns.   
  
"Zelgadis," came the soft cry in a musical voice he had known come from another throat. He turned to offer his hand down to the woman struggling up to him on a slippery slope of stray twigs and last year's dead leaves. "Leston said you'd be here." Zel tugged her up to him, an easy enough thing to do since she was so small, but he did not let go once they were standing level together. She had changed. Her eyes were dull from sleepless nights and worry lines had made their way on her face. She was not even that old, but being alone and the strain of keeping hope alive had made her so. Yet, even now, she looked so much like Jaylin that he had to force himself to keep from weeping. Under his fingertips, he felt her hands shift as if she were ready to pull away from him. It was only then that he realized that his cold gaze would make her uncomfortable. He released her quickly, turning from her as he thought of the best way to proceed. In the end, she figured it out herself. She had always been so clever. "He's dead isn't he?" Zel found the courage finally to look Rodimus' woman in the face.  
  
"Yes, Tyarli, he is." She nodded, biting her lower lip in a futile attempt to keep her dignity. "There is no shame," he told her, opening his arms for her to seek refuge if she chose to take it. "Your honor will always be safe by me." She took a step forward and allowed herself to be taken in by his rocky embrace, yet she did not cry.  
  
"I knew he was dead," she said in a sorrowful voice. "I knew it the moment he died because a part of me died with him. It may have been an arranged marriage, but no one loved their husband more than I loved my Rodimus." Zel nodded, understanding that deep of a love. "But mourning will not bring him home again." Zel started a bit. She had known, and her grief was buried deep. She did not need to be comforted this way. She was allowing herself to be held because he needed it. He needed to feel that he was of help in some way, even a small way. Once he realized this, he let her go. She stepped back, looking around at the trees blowing in the early summer wind.  
  
"What of Jaylin? What has become of her?" Zel had to wait a moment before he was ready to answer in a steady voice.  
  
"She has been killed. She died trying to rescue Rodimus. I could do nothing to prevent it."  
  
"And I am not blaming you. I hold nothing against you at all. I'm sure that you would have saved them if it had been in your power." Somehow, hearing her say that made it hurt all the more. Knowing that his power had been inadequate to save even those he held most dear above all else. All his life he had wanted to be strong, to have power, and though he had it now, it meant nothing. What he really should have been wanting was now denied him forever.  
  
"I loved her too Zelgadis," Tyarli said in the same sorrowful voice. "Though she must have thought harshly of me, and rightly so. No matter what anyone says, and no matter what she herself might have thought, I loved her very much."  
  
"I'm sure she knows that now. She will forgive you." The older woman nodded, though there was no assurance for her that what he was saying was the truth. She looked down at her hands, and remained quiet for a time.   
  
"What will you do now?" She asked, changing the subject that she no longer wanted to dwell on. Zel shrugged. He did not know. He did not care. Nothing mattered really. He could just stay in these forests that he had loved so well, and live the rest of his days alone as he had always thought he would before he had met Jaylin.  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
"Well, you mustn't stay here." That's when he remembered the bounty. "There's a price on your head, you know."  
  
"Yes, I do, though it is of no importance."  
  
"No importance? Huh, you've got every bounty hunter in the entire world looking for you."  
  
"Why? What have I done?"  
  
"No one really knows."  
  
"Well, trust me, I haven't done anything for anyone to have a bounty on me."  
  
"Making the matter that much more curious wouldn't you say?" He shrugged again, knowing that she was just trying to give him something to quest for since he no longer had anything that he wanted to achieve.  
  
"Not really. I told you, it is of no importance."  
  
"So what are you going to do? Stay out here for the rest of your life?"  
  
"That was my plan, yes."  
  
"You'll drive yourself mad."  
  
"It's too late for that, my fine lady." She got angry, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. He knew the pose. It meant he was acting like a child and she was about to take the position of his disciplinary mother.  
  
"That is truly pathetic, Zelgadis, and I am disappointed in you." He shrugged for a third time, letting her know that her opinion of him was not even worth the time it took for her to tell him of it because he couldn't care less what she thought of him. "You used to be so determined. You had such drive to please your father. Then you almost killed yourself for Jaylin, but now. . ."   
  
"And exactly what do I have left to live for?" He snarled, his muscles tensing even though he would never hurt this woman no matter how angry she made him. She reminded him too much of Jaylin to do any such thing.  
  
"Yourself. Live for yourself." He snorted. He hated himself, hated what he had become. Living for himself was the last thing that he wanted to do. "Things happen, things out of our control, but we have to pick ourselves up and move on. Don't you understand?" He said nothing, only stared at her without emotion. She shook her head. "Fine then, stay here and wait for them to come kill you. It's out of my hands." She turned to go back to the village. Before she was out of sight, he thought he heard her call back one final phrase. "Jaylin wouldn't have approved of this either." He tensed, but even those words were not enough to convince him of anything. Maybe she wouldn't have approved, but she wasn't here was she? She would never be here again, though she had always wanted to stay. He had wanted her to stay, or rather, he had wanted to stay with her.   
  
He drew his sword, looking at his reflection in the cold steel. It was the first time that he had seen himself in any reflection in four years. Now he could see clearly what had been done to him. He had never been able to reverse the spell, he had never even known what the spell was. It wasn't as if he hadn't searched for it, because he had put just as much energy into that attempt as he did in finding Jaylin. Jaylin.   
  
The tear hit the sword before he knew he was weeping. "It will never end," he whispered to the blade. "I thought it would, but now I know, and I can't stay here alone." She wouldn't be there. She would never come to him again, but he could go to her. "That's it!" He jumped up, sheathing the sword in the same motion. If it would have done any good he would have used it, but Rezo had made that impossible. He would have to do it another way. Running over a private list in his head, he smiled to himself before starting off for the deepest part of the forest. "Soon Jaylin, we'll be together soon."  
  
  
  



	14. The Mysterious Priest

Chapter 14: The Mysterious Priest  
  
Her eyes opened for the first time in days to see a little bird that had flown in from the only window. If she could have moved, she would have sat up to look at the thing more closely, but she found very quickly that moving was a very bad idea. So she and the bird just looked at each other in silence. The bird wondering how it had gotten here, and she wondering the same.  
  
The door opened, sending the bird off flying around the room in panic until it found the window and flew free once more. She moved her eyes toward the sound and saw a man enter. A tall man wearing the garb of a Plainsman, a well off Plainsman. He had once been handsome but now was looking his age. His black hair had more than a sprinkling of gray, and lines spiderwebbed out from his frozen black eyes. She knew him though. She would never forget Berihn of Mestronia.  
  
"Finally," he said, coming all the way into the room and closing the door behind him. "I thought you would never awake."  
  
"How long. . .?"  
  
"Days," he waved his hand at her. "Doesn't matter, you're awake now. How do you feel?" She had to think about that.  
  
"How should I feel?" He shook his head.  
  
"Master, Meleyal. You mustn't forget that. I forgave you the mistake before, but now you can no longer get by."  
  
"My apologies, master."  
  
"That's better. Now, if you think you are strong enough, I want you to explain to me this entire situation. I gave you to Rezo, yet he returns saying that he wishes to buy you from me a second time. Rezo is your master, yet you say your master is dead. Now, if you would please tell me how this is so."  
  
"You gave me to Rezo's companion, not Rezo himself, master. I stayed with him, even when he became Rezo's enemy. In the end, Rezo was killed by his own mistake, and he killed my master with him."  
  
"It was Rezo who bought you."  
  
"But he is dead, master."  
  
"He said to send you to the Towerwest."  
  
"There is no point, master. I saw him killed with my own eyes. His body completely destroyed." Berihn sighed.  
  
"Well, this is an interesting matter I must say." He looked down at her. "What am I to do with you?"  
  
"I'm sorry I have presented you with such a problem, master."  
  
"Not at all. It wasn't your fault, but if it is as you say then you will remain here unless someone comes to claim you."  
  
"I doubt that will happen, master."  
  
"Then you serve me from now on."  
  
"As you say, master." He nodded, reaching down to give her hand a slight squeeze.  
  
"You must forget him, Meleyal." She stared at the ceiling, knowing exactly who Berihn meant. "He is lost to you now. I know not why he meant so much to you, but it is obvious that you pine for him even now. That will not do if you are to live within these walls. You must forget."  
  
"I will try, master." Mestronia's master stood from his kneeling position.  
  
"Now you may rest. The healer will return in a few days to see how your ribs fare. Wretched excuse of a bounty hunter who would stoop so low as to kick a girl in the chest like that when he could have tied you up just as easily as anything." She let her eyes close, deciding not to tell Berihn that he had it wrong. If Reskir hadn't mentioned it, then it was not important. Besides, she would rather it had been the bounty hunter.  
  
Berihn stopped his cursing as he noticed that Meleyal was not listening. Poor girl. He had never known a slave to grow so attached to their master in such a short time. Usually, attaining that level of trust and familiarity took years. Either she was out of the ordinary, or her master had been more than what he had initially thought when he had first saw the man shrouded in ivory. Ivory. The cloak that she clung to was ivory. He should have known that she had stayed with him instead of going to Rezo. It didn't matter anymore though, if Rezo was truly dead. He threw his hands up as if to say that he was leaving the entire situation alone. Meleyal was here, and she would remain here, and that's all there was to it.   
  
Or at least, the matter would have been closed if it wasn't for the stranger. Berihn had scarcely left Meleyal's chamber when Deseray came up to him. It seemed that was all Deseray did these days. Running strange errands when she should have been sold long before. She was deeply involved with this, and only she could handle it with the descretion it seemed to need. Keeping every secret from everyone, including Reskir should it ever come to that. It was for this reason that Berihn would not sell her.  
  
"There is someone here, master," she said with a tone of both curiosity and excitement. She might have loved it, but it filled his heart with dread at the thought of another suspicious character coming to his well reputed establishment. "He claims to come in the name of Rezo."  
  
"Oh indeed? Well, that makes everything interesting doesn't it? Come then, let us go to him straightway." As they walked to the main chamber Berihn gave Deseray sideways glances. He might have to ask her advice on this in the end. She was a clever girl. She might know how best to solve whatever they might have to. Everything had been so simple before Rezo had entered his life.  
  
The stranger who stood in the shadows of the entry hall was most definitely not Rezo. He was too short for one thing, shorter than Berihn himself. His purple black hair hung to his shoulders in a carefully cut manner. The bangs of which shrouding his eyes, though they seemed to be closed to Berihn's gaze. He wore the clothes of a simple traveler, in shades of browns, yellows, grays, and greens that would not stand out in either forest or plain. The only thing remarkable about him was the staff that he carried. A knarled twisted branch that curled over a blood red orb. Berihn became wary at the sight of it. An orb like that was certainly used for something besides simple decoration.  
  
"Welcome," Berihn began with a short bow. The stranger nodded his head. "To what do I owe this visit?"  
  
"I come in the name of Rezo."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"He has asked that his slave be sent to him. I have come to fetch her to the Towerwest."  
  
"Oh indeed?" The stranger nodded.  
  
"A slight girl, left handed, silver blue hair if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"No, I know her, but she says that Rezo is dead." The stranger smiled and his shoulders shook in silent laughter.  
  
"Not at all! I assure you he's very much alive and waiting for the slave that he paid a high price for."  
  
"Really? Interesting." Meleyal had lied to him? Did she truly hate Rezo so much that she would lie to him in order to stay at Mestronia? "You'll have to wait until she is capable of travel."  
  
"She has been hurt?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Take me to her, please." Ordinarily Berihn would have refused, however he did not think he could deny this man anything. Perhaps he truly did come from Rezo, he carried the same aura of power.   
  
"Follow me." Motioning with a hand, Berihn led the man through the twisted labyrinth that made up Mestronia. "If you would permit me a question," he asked as he walked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Who exactly are you?"  
  
"Ah, I understand. Don't worry, you can trust me. I am Xellos, Mysterious Priest." For some reason, that answer was not as reassuring as it should have been. After her incident with the bounty hunter, Berihn was reluctant with just sending the poor girl with any stranger that came along. True, Rezo had paid for her, much more than she was worth in fact, but he still did not want to give her into the custody of anyone but the Red Priest. In fact, he thought that he would even second guess him at this point of the game. "You must believe that I have no intention of harming your slave," Xellos said as if he was reading Berihn's mind. It made his flesh crawl to even think that Xellos was capable of such a thing. "I am simply escorting her to her master." He didn't answer and made himself quite busy with opening the door.  
  
Meleyal was asleep when they entered. Her starlit eyes closed and a hand placed gingerly over her ribs. The other hand clung fast to the ivory rags that had once been her old master's cloak. Xellos put a thoughtful finger to his chin as he studied her.  
  
"My my," he said in an oddly nasal voice. "She is a mess isn't she?"  
  
"She will make a full recovery. She just needs some time."  
  
"Hmm, I'll see what I can do about that." The man flashed his cape out behind him in a dramatic gesture and knelt beside the straw pallet. After he had moved Meleyal's hand out of the way, he placed gentle fingers on her chest. A healing spell, Berihn thought as he watched intently. Minutes ticked by and neither priest nor girl moved at all. In the end, Xellos rose to give her another thoughtful stare.  
  
"This will not do," he said. "I'd forgotten that it would not work." Berihn decided not to question as it was obvious that it was not to him that the priest was speaking to. "I suppose I'll have to try something else." Before Berihn could demand what he was going to do, Xellos had picked up Meleyal and shimmered into nothing. Then, before he could wonder what was going on, they had shimmered back into sight, but the change was obvious. Meleyal was awake, the flush of fever gone from her face and the pain gone from her eyes. What sort of person was this mysterious priest that he could disappear and then reappear? And how did Meleyal become healed when Xellos himself said that a healing spell wouldn't work?   
  
"How did you. .?" He would have asked, but Xellos intercepted him with a shaking finger.  
  
"Now that is a secret," he said giving him a wink and a smile that Berihn found most annoying. "As much fun as it has been, we must be on our way to the Towerwest. Farewell, good Berihn." With an arm about Meleyal's waist, Xellos walked past him and out the door.  
  
"I'll be going with you, sir," he called and trotted after them. Xellos turned to give him an interesting look.  
  
"Indeed?" Then his tone softened and it was plain that he was talking to himself again. "That will most certainly complicate things a bit."  
  
"Doesn't matter, I'm coming."  
  
"Are you sure? Who will run this fabulous establishment of yours while you're away?"  
  
"Reskir can handle it. Besides, I must give my regards to Rezo and what better way to do that than in person?" And also, Rezo had Ebonis with him and he longed to see her more than anything.  
  
"Oh," the priest looked as if he would flat out refuse, but since he had no reason to do that and not raise suspicion he had no choice. "Very well." They had now reached the main chamber where Deseray was waiting for them.  
  
"Deseray," Berihn commanded in a curt tone that implied importance. "Tell Reskir that I have gone to the Towerwest and shall return as soon as I can." She looked sad for the briefest of moments before giving him a deep curtsey.  
  
"Farewell then master." He brushed his fingers down the side of her face in parting then followed Xellos out of Mestronia. Since the man had come on foot, Berihn decided against taking his own horse. Besides, it was obvious that Xellos did not wish to waste the time it would take to wait for him to tack it up. The Priest was paying no attention to him at all, and never removed his hand from about Meleyal's waist. After a bit, he glanced behind to see if Berihn was still there, then quickened his pace and bent his head down in order to have a private conversation with the slave. As much as he wanted to know what was being said, Berihn's honor kept him back.   
  
"I may have to depart from you for a time," the strange man named Xellos whispered in her ear. Though his voice had a nasal twinge she found it soothing. She had known him for a month, while her ribs healed. It had been a month, yet he had explained to her that it would seem to Berihn as if they had been gone for only a few moments. When she had asked he had kissed her cheek saying that it was a secret.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To make sure your master will meet us at the Towerwest."  
  
"Rezo is dead I tell you." The priest smiled his secretive smile.  
  
"No, your true master. Zelgadis? Surely you remember him, Jaylin." That was a new one on her. All the time she had been with him this was the first he had ever let her know that he knew her real name.  
  
"Zel? Where is he? You must know. Is he all right?"  
  
"For right now he is, but he thinks you're dead and he's having a hard time dealing with that."  
  
"You're going to him? Why can't you take me with you? We don't have to go to the Towerwest. It will take too much time." Xellos laughed his silent laugh as he walked with his arm about her.   
  
"Child, there are certain ways that things must be carried out. You can't come with me just yet, but you will be returned to him."  
  
"How do you know so much about us?"  
  
"Now, that is a secret." She should have known better than to ask such a question. Xellos was a mysterious priest, and he lived up to that title with every move he made. Still, sometimes he did answer some questions, so she supposed it was worth the chance at least. "It will all work out for the best, at least, if my assumptions are correct it will."  
  
"What if they are wrong?"  
  
"Don't worry yourself about that." Even though he was trying to be reassuring, she wasn't reassured at all. Why not just take her with him? It would make things so much easier. Towerwest was not important at all, in her mind, yet he made it out to be very significant. What private plans was he trying to carry out anyway? Now that, she told herself, automatically hearing his voice as she did so, is most likely a secret. "Besides, Berihn will be here to protect you."  
  
"Zelgadis hates Berihn."  
  
"Yes, one more reason for you two to stay here when I go to meet him isn't it? If we're lucky, they won't even have to see each other."  
  
"That would be the safest."   
  
"All right then. I shall catch up with you shortly." With one wave of his purplish gray gloved hands, he shimmered and disappeared. She shook her head, wondering what sort of person he was. Even Rezo, powerful mage that he had been, could not simply disappear like that whenever he wished. She would never know, because like everything else about the mysterious priest, it was a secret.  
  
"What happened?" Berihn's hand on her shoulder brought her from her frustrated musings.   
  
"I really don't know, but he'll be back when he feels like it I suppose. However, we'd better not still be standing here when he decides to return." Berihn raised an eyebrow, and it was only then that she realized her mistake. Then she made her second as she turned quickly away as if to run. Her master caught her arm, and pulled her around to face him.  
  
"What is your name?" He asked her through gritted teeth. For a second she looked directly into his eyes, then she threw her gaze to the ground. He knew, he had to know, otherwise he wouldn't have asked her such a question.  
  
"Meleyal, master," she answered with a slight stutter over the word. He thrust her away from him, but remained close enough to grab her should she try to run.   
  
"You lie. We both know it so tell me what is your name?" She wasn't going to get out of this one. She had messed up this time, and there was nothing she could do to reverse its effects.   
  
"My name is Jaylin." He sighed deeply.  
  
"How did this happen?"  
  
"You sent me with Zelgadis. Do you remember him?"  
  
"I did not know him by name, but of course I remember him." She shook her head, knowing that he did not understand clearly.  
  
"No, not the way he was that day, but the way he was before. He challenged you, remember? He challenged you for me."  
  
"That boy? It was him?"  
  
"Yes, and it was him who helped me remember."  
  
"Curse him then. How can I ever send you to Rezo now? I'd have to rebreak you."  
  
"You will never be able to break me again I'm afraid."  
  
"How did he do it?"  
  
"His kindness, he was my best friend. You may have erased my name from my memory, but you could never erase his." Berihn passed a weary hand over his eyes, cursing Zelgadis and Jaylin both.  
  
"How am I going to explain this?"  
  
"You won't have to. I tell you, Rezo is dead."  
  
"That Xellos character says he's not. You have reason to lie to me, but he does not. Which do you think I am going to believe?"  
  
"I suppose that is up to you then, but I know that the Red Priest is no more."  
  
"You've been nothing but trouble since the moment I picked you."  
  
"That is no fault of mine, Berihn. You could have left me and none of this would be happening would it?" His muscles tightened in the manner of a frustrated man who did not know what to do. Hands clenched and unclenched, and he even grabbed his sword hilt a few times though what he intended to do with the weapon Jaylin wasn't sure.   
  
"Well," he said finally in an emotion strained tone. "I guess there's no way I can keep you here any longer. I'll have to find a way to explain this to your master, though how I'm going to do that I don't know. You might as well just leave, there is no way you can disgrace me further."  
  
"I'll not be leaving, Berihn. If I had meant to leave you I would have by now. There will come a time when you must let me go, but right now doesn't have to be that time. I'm going to the Towerwest where all of Xellos' secrets may be revealed, and after that who knows?" He looked at her, for a very long time.   
  
"You wretched. ."  
  
"There's no need for any of that. It happened, and there's nothing you can do about it, but you will not be as badly disgraced as you fear." He waved his hand at her.  
  
"We'll see." After that he fell into a moody silence, never speaking to her at all. Every once in a while he would stare at her in frustration and his hand would clench without his even being aware of it, but he never spoke to her again. Jaylin didn't blame him, she just hoped that Xellos would return so that she wouldn't have to suffer his heated stare in silence. Where was the priest anyway?  
  
Zelgadis gave his mixture one last stir before he was satisfied that it was finally time. The poison he had concocted would be painful, but it would be mercifully quick. Three swallows was all it would take. Three swallows of liquid fire and then he would be with Jaylin in a human spirit for the rest of eternity. He could almost feel her presence somewhere behind him, or sometimes right at his side like she had always been. Beckoning him to join her as fast as he could because she needed him just as much as he needed her. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the memory he had of her, before pouring the deadly potion into his wooden cup. He fingered it nervously for a moment, knowing exactly what would happen to him in the few moments before his death. It doesn't matter, he told himself firmly, one brief spasm of pain compared to forever with Jaylin as a human spirit. What was one minute?  
  
"Wait a moment, Zelgadis," the nasal voice of some unseen stranger caught him by surprise. He lowered the cup from his lips to give his surroundings a scan. "Are you sure you want to do that?"  
  
"Who are you?" Instinctively, his hand grabbed his sword to unsheathe it. He didn't want to defend himself really, but it was habit. A swooshing sound came from behind him. In instant reflex, he spun on his heel to see a man just appear from out of no where to stand before him with a smirk on his face.   
  
"I am Xellos," the being said, giving a slight bow. "Mysterious Priest."  
  
"If you've come here to kill me feel free, if you're here for another reason I'm not interested so you might as well be gone right now if you want to live." The supposed priest's shoulders shook in silent laughter, and he clung to the staff he carried with both hands.  
  
"Quite the contrary, Zelgadis. I believe I have some information that you would be very interested in." With a toss of his head and a wave of his hand, Zel turned again to walk away from this Xellos person. "What if I were to tell you," the priest began to shout as Zel was getting out of hearing range. "That I knew where Jaylin was?" He stopped dead, glancing over his shoulder at the slender man still standing with his staff.  
  
"Oh do you?" He knew he shouldn't allow himself to do this as he knew where Jaylin was as well, but there was some part of him that wondered if hope could be rekindled.  
  
"Indeed, I do."  
  
"Where then?" The Priest just smiled the smile that Zel remembered seeing on the face of a different priest. Fingering his throwing dagger, Zel cursed under his breath. "Where is she?"  
  
"Safe, for the time being. If you want to see her again I strongly suggest that you go to Sairaag."  
  
"Sairaag?" He thought about that for a moment. "The Towerwest!"  
  
"Quite right."  
  
"But why would she go there? She did not even know of it."  
  
"Now that," he raised one finger as if in chastisement. "Is a secret."  
  
"Answer me this then, or die where you stand. Is she alive?"  
  
"Very much so." He didn't know if he believed him or not, but his soul wanted so much to think that it was true he found himself calculating the quickest route to the city. "I'll see you in Sairaag then." He raised his gloved hand in parting and vanished completely, leaving Zel alone. The chimera looked about himself, sighing deeply. He knew that he would go to Sairaag, just because a tiny chance was enough for him. However, he put his three swallows into a sealed vial before burying the rest of the poison, just in case it wasn't true. So you're choosing a new grave, he joked at himself, and what better place than the laboratory where Rezo designed the methods of creating this body of yours? Life was so funny, giving one hopes and dreams before making him realize that none of them would be attainable. It wasn't as if it took so much to make him happy. He didn't even need a home to live in for that matter, all he wanted was to live together with his best friend.  
  
"So Zelgadis," he said to himself as he slipped his spare cloak over his shoulders. "There was your splendid homecoming. Oh well, a few days was more than enough anyway, possibly even more than you truly wanted wasn't it?" Yes, it had been, but that didn't matter. He didn't think he would ever come back to it again, and that was just fine with him. Before he left, he figured he had to give Tyarli one last visit. When he reached the town, the moon was just rising. Some of the houses were dark, but there was still one candle burning in the upper window of Tyarli's small whitewashed home. Breaking any form of courtesy, he allowed himself inside. He had been there many times before so finding the stairway in the dark wasn't that much of a problem. His demon eyesight helped him as well. He made his way slowly, so he wouldn't accidentally step on a loose floorboard and disrupt the household more than he was already doing by just being there. When he had just gotten to the top stair, the door to Jaylin's chamber opened and Tyarli stepped out. Upon seeing him there in the shadows, she visibly jumped. He came forward to take her arm so she wouldn't drop her candle in surprise.   
  
"Zelgadis," she whispered in a pant with her free hand coming up to rest against her heart. "I thought I was going to die. You have no idea what that does to a person."  
  
"Yes, I am sure my monstrous appearance would be frightening in the dark," she looked down at those words, certain she had offended him, but it didn't matter to him at all. "But I had to come to tell you something."  
  
"You shouldn't be here you know. Do you have any idea how many bounty hunters are here? You could have lost your head three steps into town."  
  
"But I didn't. As far as anyone can tell, I am not anywhere close to the town. Only you and I know that I'm here, and I am assuming that it will be kept thus."  
  
"You know I'll keep your secrets. I've been doing so for a long time haven't I?"  
  
"Indeed you have, but listen. I have cause to believe, a slight one but better than nothing, that Jaylin might be still alive." Tyarli trembled under his hand.  
  
"How?"  
  
"I don't know, I don't even know if it's true or not, but I'm going to find out. I just came by to ask if you wanted to join me."  
  
"What if it's not true?"  
  
"Then you'll never see me again."  
  
"You wouldn't -"  
  
"Wouldn't I? I would have done so already if that priest hadn't shown up." Her mouth gaped open in shock before she regained her compose.  
  
"I wish you wouldn't even consider that."  
  
"There is nothing left for me, Ty. It is no longer up for discussion. However, we forget that she might still live. I'm going tonight, as soon as I hear your decision." She looked off into the shadows for a long minute before turning back to him and smiling.  
  
"No, Zelgadis, I won't be coming with you. If she is dead then I don't think I could stand to be with you when you. . ." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She shook her head before continuing." And if she lives then I want you to come back here."   
  
"Very well then." He let go of her arm and turned to go back down the stairs.  
  
"Oh, Zelgadis?" When he turned back around it was right into her arms. "Do be careful won't you? It shouldn't trouble me that you're going out into danger because I know you can handle yourself, but you were always such a sweet lad and I can't help but worry." She stood on tiptoe to give him a maternal kiss on the forehead, something that he would never allow anyone but her to do.  
  
"I'll be careful, Ty."  
  
"And give that decision of yours some more thought. You will always have a place here if you find that you cannot bring yourself to do it. Your honor is always safe with me." He nodded, tugged his cape into position, and walked out into the darkness.  
  
  
  



	15. Riddled with Manipulation

Chapter 15: Riddled with Manipulation  
  
It was late in the evening on the second day when Xellos returned to them. Or rather scared them to death by appearing out of nowhere. Berihn had his sword out and had almost stabbed the priest through before he realized who it was. When he did, the ring of the sword being jabbed back into the sheath was loud enough to startle them all again.   
  
"Next time I'll run you through," he snarled as he crept away to brood by himself.   
  
"Oooh," the priest drawled with a sarcastic smirk. "I'll keep that in mind from now on." Jaylin's shock had completely left her by this time, replaced entirely by excitement.   
  
"Did you see him?" She asked eagerly coming up to him and having to restrain herself from tugging on his sleeve like a child. "Is he all right? Did he ask about me? Or didn't you even tell him?" It was only when Xellos laughed that she realized what she was doing. "I'm sorry, but, please?"  
  
"One question at a time, child. One question at a time."  
  
"And they had better not be secrets. I have a sword of my own you know." Xellos' laugh turned nervous and he took a step back.   
  
"Very well, I was planning on telling you anyway. Yes, I saw your master, though he wasn't well when I saw him." She grabbed his shoulders, demanding an explanation with the action.  
  
"What do you mean? Is he ill? You didn't leave him alone if he was ill did you?"  
  
"One at a time?" She forced herself to release him and step away. "Let me finish would you? He was not ill in body, but spirit since he believes you dead. He was about ready to commit suicide when I found him." A gasp left her and she almost grabbed hold of him again, but he went on before she could. "I talked him out of that. If all goes well, he should meet up with us in Sairaag."  
  
"Why do we have to go to Sairaag again?"  
  
"Now that is a secret." She cursed him, twice, her hands balling up into fists unconsciously.  
  
"Why do you have to do that all the time?"  
  
"If I didn't then I couldn't call myself the Mysterious Priest now could I?"  
  
"As if that would be such a bad thing."  
  
"We are who we are, and we can be no less or more, my fine lady."  
  
"He's a poet now." She flung her hands up. "Why do I bother?"  
  
"Jaylin!" His tone of voice made her turn around and also turn somber. "I have my reasons, and it will be the best for the both of you. I really can tell you no more, or it won't work out correctly. Do you understand?"  
  
"I don't have a choice do I?"  
  
"No, but having you accept my reasons simply because they are my reasons makes things much easier now doesn't it?"  
  
"Fine, but know that I am only following you because you say that I will be with Zel again."  
  
"I ask for nothing more than that." She sighed the deep sigh of helplessness before turning away from the priest to contemplate the stars that were appearing by the thousands.   
  
"How long before we reach Sairaag then? I am unfamiliar with the terrain."  
  
"Oh, I'd say six days, but your Zelgadis will not be there when we arrive."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, he's a good distance to the south and east of where we are, and of course there are some complications that he'll have to go through that we can avoid."  
  
"Example?"  
  
"Well, there is a bounty on his head for one thing."  
  
"Who would do a thing like that?"  
  
"That's a. ."  
  
"Secret, of course." Six days. She could stand this trickery for six days more. Just don't ask any questions, Jaylin, and you'll keep your sanity. Not thinking at all sounded like a better plan because thinking would make her worry and worrying would get her nowhere. She stared at the brilliant stars again, trying to lose herself in the depth of the cobalt sky. Wait, there was something not right about this. The stars were there, but the moon was absent. The snow white double moon, that was always visible unless there were clouds, was not there.   
  
"Xellos?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What happened to the moon?" He shrugged, spreading his cloak on the ground.  
  
"Probably hasn't risen yet. It's still early you know." She could accept that she supposed. "Get some sleep. We leave before dawn."  
  
"Why are we in such a rush? No, wait, never mind, forget I asked."  
  
"Very well." Grumbling to herself, she wrapped her cloak around her to sleep without   
even trying to puzzle anything out. There were too many holes in the picture for the scene to be made out clearly, yet.   
  
Xellos woke her, rather unceremoniously, before the first sliver of sunlight had risen. She almost punched the priest since having her shoulders being shaken that way was not on her list of favorite ways to be brought out of sleep.  
  
"Rise and shine," Xellos half sang the greeting in a voice way too cheerful for that time of the morning.  
  
"If the sun doesn't have to shine yet, why should I?" He pretended to consider that for a minute.   
  
"My, aren't we clever this early? If you're awake enough for comments like that you're more than ready to get up." She growled under her breath as she untangled herself from her cloak. She had never known a priest with a sense of humor like this one's. It would be such a relief to be with her Zel again. He might be a bit sarcastic from time to time, but he was never this frustrating. She looked over at Berihn, but it was clear that she would be getting no help from him. If he ever glanced her direction it was always with a dangerous eye. He just couldn't get over the fact that she had beaten his system. It wasn't exactly her fault, and he wouldn't be disgraced. Rezo was dead, she knew it, but it was obvious that she was not going to convince him of this fact since Xellos had contradicted her. Why anyone would believe him was beyond her, even though she was doing the exact same thing. She gave up on contemplating her companions, turning her thoughts instead to what she knew of Sairaag.  
  
Zel had once showed her a book of maps so she had a general idea of where it lay in the topographical sense. It was toward the north of their world, north and west, she corrected herself as she pictured it in her head. It didn't really matter where it was since Xellos had that aspect taken care of, but what did she know about it? She had taken a class on it while she still lived in Mestronia. Biting her lip as she traveled she tried hard to remember what she had read. It consisted of a large amount of people in a theocracy type of government, the leader of which being the High Priest of Flagoon, the Holy Tree. Outside the city walls lived the farmers who were called citizens, planting crops mostly of corn and some of wheat as they were in the plains. In the center of the city, oddly enough, stood a forest. The Miasma Forest, if she remembered the map right. Where the Holy Tree, Flagoon was tended by the Shrine Maidens. Flagoon was a major part of ancient history.  
  
As the account went, at that time the city was nothing more but a few dozen settlements of plain wood and thatch. A sorcerer, trying to gain unlimited power, accidentally called up a demon of immense evil, his name being Zanafar, the demon beast. If it had not been for one mercenary swordsman, the beast would have destroyed first the town and then gone on for larger game, drawn to bigger cities by the incredible negative energy that always seemed to lie in places where there were lots of people. That swordsman had used an unusual blade, a sword of light, to kill the demon beast on the astral plain and saving much more than he knew he was saving. Although Zanafar had been killed, his evil seeped out of his body and into the souls of the inhabitants of Sairaag. Until one sorcerer, the very same that had called up the monster, and the ancestor of the High Priest that existed there now, called upon the natural order of things to repair the damage he had done. A tree grew over the body of the beast, absorbing the evil it gave off to make itself stronger. That tree grew a forest around it, the Miasma forest, since it helped Flagoon absorb the evil miasma that still seeped from Zanafar's body.   
  
"There is just no connection," she muttered to herself. Why did they have to go there? There was no reason she could think of. It seemed to her that it would be faster just to turn around and meet up with Zel. Why not a different city? Any of them would do just as well. Jaylin, she told herself, you'll not be getting yourself closer to anything except a headache if you keep asking questions that have no answers.   
  
How did she end up in Sairaag? That was the question that came most often to Zel's puzzled mind as he walked the trek to the holy city. The entire thing was so ridiculous he had turned back, several times, figuring that whoever that mysterious priest was, he was only saying she was alive to torture him. It was in those moments that he also fingered the vial in his cloak pocket. Hope sank to despair, especially at night, and it was during those times that he had to work the hardest at not downing that vial of fire. She had never even been to Sairaag. He had shown it to her in a book once, but that was all contact she had ever had to it. Perhaps, he would tell himself just before drinking his doom, perhaps after she had escaped from Rezo's tower she had wandered the countryside in a daze until she either came upon Sairaag or some merchant had taken her there out of pity. That was the only solution he could come up with, even though he knew that she would probably head to Mestronia first. When he came to this point of his reasoning he would cast the entire matter aside and study the heavens, or the trees, or something else to occupy his mind. The matter was just too frustrating to think about for long.  
  
He had just tossed the situation aside and was contemplating the starry night sky of his third day of travel when the priest came to him again. Just walked right up to stand beside him, mocking his crossed arms and somber expression. Zel cast a sideways look in his direction, then went back to the astrological scenery.  
  
"Why so silent, Zelgadis?" The man's slippery question broke the serenity of the night.  
  
"I have nothing to say to you."  
  
"No questions? Nothing you want to know?"  
  
"Oh, I have questions, though I'll find the answers on my own."  
  
"Then I suppose Jaylin's welfare means nothing to you either?"  
  
"Mock me not, priest. I'm in no mood to play your game."  
  
"You never are. You know, you really take life too seriously."  
  
"Why should I not? I've shed more tears than there are stars in those heavens."  
  
"Well, in that case, I'll tell you something you might like to know." Zel forced his hope down. Whatever this man said could not be trusted before careful analysis. "Do you want to know, Zelgadis?" He sighed deeply.  
  
"Tell me what you would, priest. I have no choice but to listen to your words. I'm running half way across creation on your whim. Hang Jaylin in front of me as a carrot before a mule, and I'll run until I am dead from exhaustion even though I'll never reach her. Say the word, priest, and watch me run." Xellos rocked back on his heels twice as if considering his words carefully while Zel waited in stone silence. For once in his countless years, Xellos completed a sentence with no twists to truth and no secret. For once in his countless years, Xellos made a promise he meant to keep.  
  
"I'll just tell you this, Zelgadis, and not bother you again until you reach your destination. For I will be there when you arrive, and I will have your Jaylin there waiting for you safely." His message given, he pivoted and vanished from Zel's view. All well and good then. Zel resumed his star gazing, wishing he were watching the stars in her eyes instead.   
  
Jaylin's sword rested against Xellos' throat as he re-entered their camp that night. He hadn't been gone long, a moment only, but she knew that he had done something. He stopped his forward motion, held in place by the steel.  
  
"Where have you been, priest?" She sounded exactly like Zel. It was little wonder they made such a pair.  
  
"I've only been gone a moment, what makes you think I've gone anywhere?" The steel trembled as she resisted the urge to just kill him and be done with it.  
  
"You play games with me and I'll turn you into the most somber priest that ever crossed a monastery's threshold. What fine riddles you will make with an absent tongue."  
  
"Rather vicious tonight aren't we?" Her eyes narrowed, glinting dangerously in the starlight.  
  
"Have you been to see Zel?"  
  
"I have."  
  
"Where is he?" Xellos gave his secretive smile.  
  
"Behind us a few days."  
  
"All goes well with him?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Take me to him."  
  
"Now, you know I can't do that."  
  
"On the contrary, I know you can, but you won't. I thought this might persuade you."  
  
"If you wish a favor from me, a swordtip at my neck is not the best way to go about it. You'll see him in Sairaag." She tensed, closing her eyes and bringing her patience under her control.  
  
"Fine, then tell me this. Where is the moon?" He gave a sideways glance upward as if searching for the missing satellite.  
  
"Is it my fault that the moon refuses to show itself now? Am I so powerful as to chase it from it's place?"  
  
"You know exactly what happened to it, and we both know the secret now. You're playing with time, sending not the moon from its position, but us from the world. We travel, but we are only traveling through time aren't we? That way we are sure to reach Sairaag before Zel. Is this not the truth?"  
  
"Well done, but there really is nothing you can do about it now is there? I brought you here, and only I can take you out again. Kill me and spend eternity trapped in time."  
  
"Who are you? Why is our situation so important to you? For what reason do you demand our separation?"  
  
"I am Xellos, as for the rest. . ." his words trailed as he himself faded until only his gloved finger against his lips was visible. "It is a secret." Muttering the vilest curses she could think of, she had no choice but to sheathe her weapon and let it drop. Her questions wouldn't work, her steel was useless, no matter what she did Xellos still said only what he wanted her to know and not a word more.   
  
"Xellos!" She screamed into the artificial night. "Manipulator of Time! I know you hear me. If you won't answer my questions, then at least speed our journey so I can end this madness."  
  
"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Came the reverberated voice from all sides.  
"I either get to Sairaag this instant, or allow myself to go insane due to your riddle of frustration." Xellos' laughter mocked her nerves, made worse from the fact that it was everywhere at once.  
  
"I think you'll find that you'll be just as insane in Sairaag as anywhere else, my dear."  
  
"No more riddles, priest! I shall impale myself where I stand!" She drew her sword, ready to do it. "And glad am I to be done with it. Woe to you, priest, when Zel learns of my murder." When there was no answer, she drew a deep breath that she deemed her last. If she hadn't closed her eyes, she might have ducked before the priest materialized and caught her arm. However, that didn't happen, and he prevented her from doing any harm to herself.  
  
"If you did that, Zelgadis would surely come to join you in the otherlands," he told her in a whisper, no less infuriating despite the lower pitch. "And doubtless you would be happy even if you were both cast into the farthest pit of the abyss as long as you were together, but I have other plans for you, my dear."  
  
"What plans?" She asked through gritted teeth, trying to regain her wrist from his grasp.  
  
"If I told you, it would spoil everything." She gave him a ferocious kick to the knee, ferocious enough it seemed for him to release her. Stepping backwards, she again rose the sword to kill herself, this time keeping her eyes wide open and watching the priest standing in the shadows.  
  
"This will spoil it, priest," she taunted him, gasping a bit as she slowly brought the sword down.  
  
"Wait!" She paused, the swordtip an inch into her body. "I'll take you to Sairaag. You and Berihn both. By tomorrow morning you'll be in the hands of your new master." She sheathed the sword, glaring at him while pressing a hand against her self inflicted wound.   
  
"On your word?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Fine. I'll see you in Sairaag then."   
  
"Your wound?"  
  
"You reach one hand out to me and I'll severe it."  
  
"Vixen," he hissed, stepping backward with a mocking bow. Once he had again disappeared into nothing, she allowed herself to sink to the ground. The wound was not bad, she finally decided, and would heal quickly with barely a scar. Finally, she had won against the trickster. She would be able to get some answers in Sairaag. The only thing that she wondered about was the 'new master' that Xellos kept mentioning. She had decided not to question the point since she had her victory for the day. Tomorrow, or rather, whenever Xellos decided tomorrow should be. Soon, she knew, he wouldn't dare allow her to stay here for too much longer. As long as she had her sword, and the will, she could manipulate him a bit for a change.   
  
Berihn came back to the campsite a short time after Xellos had disappeared. He frequently did that when they had stopped for the evening. Going for long walks, hours at a time, often not coming back until well after dusk. Whatever he did while he was gone, Jaylin did not know, but he always seemed in a bit of a better mood when he returned. He was whistling that night as he sat down next to the fire she had made, unsheathing his sword to polish it in the ember light.  
  
"We'll be in Sairaag on the morrow," she told him, kneeling on the opposite side of the firepit. He looked up from his blade, considering her.  
  
"Who told you this?" They were the first words he had spoken to her in all the time they had been traveling.   
  
"Xellos himself." He grunted, going back to his polishing.  
  
"Can't trust anything that one tells you."  
  
"He'll keep his word on this one. We'll be there tomorrow."  
  
"What did you do to yourself? If I'm going to present an unbroken slave, you could at least have given me some dignity by not hurting yourself until we get there."  
  
"That was how I got Xellos to promise to get us out of here." He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Here?"  
  
"Never mind, it's not important anymore."  
  
"Jaylin, for the love of the light itself don't talk to me that way. I asked a question that I would appreciate having answered."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"You'll never call me master again will you?"  
  
"I can't."  
  
"But can you at least answer the question?" She sighed, looking into the fire as if invoking its power to help her through this.  
  
"Xellos has changed time somehow. I don't know how, I don't even know what he is exactly, but he has the power to. . .to," she breathed deeply trying to think of how to explain it. "To make it seem as if we have been traveling for days when really it hasn't been that long. He did it to speed our journey so we would be in Sairaag before Zelgadis."  
  
"But why does he want us to be there before Zelgadis?"  
  
"I don't know, I really don't know, and I couldn't get him to tell me. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it for his own reasons that he won't share with me or anyone. It'll be solved by tomorrow so it won't matter." Berihn sighed, his emotions betrayed by the fierceness of his polishing.  
  
"I never had any trouble before I picked you."  
  
"There really is nothing I can do about that." She wrapped herself in her cloak, even though it was warm enough now that she truly didn't need it, not wanting to go through Berihn's tarnished honor again. As she was drifting off to sleep she said a prayer that everything would be solved and come out right in the end. They had to didn't they? Wasn't that how it was supposed to happen? She clutched her shred of Zel's cloak close to herself, not exactly sure when it was that she fell asleep until she was awakened the next morning.  
  
"Are you ready?" Came a voice in her ear through the haze of semi awareness. "Vixen! Come on, this is what you wanted after all." She sat up to find herself looking at Xellos heralded with the full glory of the sunrise. The true sunrise, not the painted one of his time world.  
  
"Away from me, priest," she hissed as she stood. "The situation has not changed between us."  
  
"I'm so hurt." She smiled her version of Zel's half smile.  
  
"Not yet you're not, but that could be arranged if you don't step back."   
  
"All right, if that's the way you feel. Shall we then?" He stretched forth his arm, and Sairaag appeared at the bottom of the hill they were standing on. Flagoon stood taller than any building in the city, its enormous branches stretching high to catch the sunrise in its leaves. Dazzled by the scene before her, she temporarily forgot everything that was happening in her life. Everything was lost in the moment of morning.  
  
"Lead the way, priest," she gasped, still astounded by the effect of the sun on the tree. He raised a cryptic eyebrow at her, ruining the instant, but they had to get down to that city. The hill was steep, but they made their way down it safely and quickly. It was Jaylin who set the pace, wanting to get there as soon as possible. However, they never entered the city gates, the enormous glittering golden gates that led into the inner city. Instead, Xellos marched them around the side streets of the outer city, the part that was not surrounded by a wall, and where fields were more common than houses. As he led them, the fields and small thatched roof houses faded back and gave way to a mansion. It stood higher than the gates that it stood next to, its stone towers twisting into so many hidden passages and catwalks. Though the sun shone directly on it, the light was wasted for it did not reflect on any of the cold stone. The building was dark and hard, looming over the surrounding area with a shadow that prohibited any grass from growing. As far as Jaylin could tell as she inspected it, there was not even a small kitchen garden. Not that anything would grow here, she thought to herself as she walked up the front entry steps. Berihn followed, trying to look as if he had the situation under control. Xellos, she noticed, had disappeared again. Not that it mattered anymore. She was where she needed to be to solve her puzzle. Before he knocked on the heavy wooden doors, Berihn turned to consider her.  
  
"For the sake of my pride, do not humiliate me," he pleaded with her.  
  
"Very well, master, though I truly don't think he lives." He gave a relieved sigh and pounded on the door.  
  
"Enter," someone called from within in a voice that Berihn knew well. It sounded like Ebonis. They exchanged a look, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. It was dark and cool inside, but they could make out tables on which rested volumes of notes and vials of strange chemicals. Along one wall were enormous glass cases filled with some sort of liquid, although Jaylin could not make out what was resting inside. Whatever it was, it was alive, of that she was certain. The entire atmosphere made her uneasy. What had that priest been up to bringing them here?   
  
"Welcome," the word drew their attention up to a balcony that served as a hallway for the upper floor. It was Ebonis, or at least Jaylin thought it was Ebonis, she had changed enough that she might be wrong. Her black hair was still cropped short, but her eyes had slivers of crimson resting in with the gold and black. Instead of Mestronian slave white, she wore a very short black dress and black boots that came up to her calves. A black cloak rested on her shoulders, and the hands that gripped the railing of the balcony were also clothed in black. Her voice had changed too, becoming hard and emotionless.  
  
"Ebonis?" Berihn took a step forward, squinting to see her better in the shadows. "Is that you?"   
  
"Berihn. You were not expected."   
  
"I needed some answers. Are you well Ebonis?"  
  
"Eris, my name is Eris, or had you forgotten?"  
  
"I thought. ."  
  
"No matter, I see you have brought the girl."  
  
"Eris. . ." the tone was so sorrowful, so pleading, so abandoned. She waved her hand at him.  
  
"Lord Rezo will be pleased." He stepped back, stricken.   
  
"Then I suppose I shall be on my way." Eris looked as if she were about to nod, then she stopped looking hard at Berihn. Her black cloak swirled about her legs as she came down the stone staircase, walking right up to the master of Mestronia. Hesitantly, she traced a finger along his scabbard causing him to smile at her with affection.  
  
"Don't leave yet, Berihn," she whispered so low Jaylin could scarcely hear. "I will talk to you when Lord Rezo has no use for me, in private."  
  
"Where is Rezo?"  
  
"Upstairs resting. You will probably not even see him."  
  
"But he is alive?"  
  
"Of course." Berihn shot a glare at Jaylin who was standing in the appropriate slave manner and didn't see it. When he turned back to Ebonis, Eris, he had to remember that her name was Eris, she was smiling at him like she used to. She took his hand and gently kissed him on the cheek. "You may take the last chamber on the right hand side of the corridor upstairs. I shall come to you when I can." He smiled at her, squeezed her hand in his, though he dared not kiss her. She no longer belonged to him.   
  
"Until later then, and you will decide what is to be done with her?" He nodded his head in Jaylin's direction.  
  
"Yes, I have my orders on what is to be done with her."   
  
"Very well." He released her hand and began up the stairs, giving occasional longing glances over his shoulder, until he disappeared down a corridor. Once he was out of sight, Eris' smile vanished as if it pained her to keep it.  
  
"Fool," she whispered so softly Jaylin barely heard it. Her crimson slivered eyes came to rest upon Jaylin. "As for you, come with me." Hesitantly, she did as commanded. There was something not right about this. It might have been the eerieness of the atmosphere, or how much Eris had changed for the worse, but things just didn't seem right. And how could Rezo be still alive? She had seen him die. What if he was alive? He would want to kill Zel, and the only bait that he could get to bring Zel right to him would be her. Banish that Xellos to the farthest and darkest corner of the abyss! And may the Lord of the Dark sew his smirking lips together! He had been working for Rezo all along and was leading her right into a trap. Why did she go with him? Of all the predicaments she had gotten herself into. She would have to kill Eris, she decided, and make her escape quickly. But what of Berihn? How could she get him out of here? He would never believe his Eris would be working for evil. That would present a problem.   
  
Eris turned on her heel slowly to look back at her. Jaylin hunched her shoulders, trying to step into the stance. After a moment of this careful scrutiny where neither girl moved, Eris darted out, catching Jaylin's arm and pulling it behind her. How could she possibly have moved so fast? It wasn't humanly possible. However, her speed was of little moment to her now. Eris shoved her forward, under the main staircase into a unfrequented dreary little room. There were no windows, and only one door. It very much resembled the cell of Mestronian nightmare. Upon seeing it, Jaylin struggled against the hands that held her arms useless. She even kicked backward a few times, but to no avail. Using a strength that shouldn't have been possible, Eris chained Jaylin by her wrists to the stone wall.   
  
"Eris," she hissed. "What do you hope to accomplish by this?" She jerked the chains that held her bound to the wall.  
  
"Revenge."  
  
"You can't hurt him. He's more skilled than you'll ever hope to be."  
  
"Fool! That is where you come in."  
  
"You don't need me for that."  
  
"On the contrary, I do. You see, Meleyal, you understand the chimera's fighting style. I need you to kill him for Lord Rezo."  
  
"I lack the will and the power to do such a thing."  
  
"You'll be able to once I get through with you, and as for your lack of skill, it will not be a problem. He is not capable of harming you. Zelgadis will die at your hands." Her plan revealed, Eris gave a triumphant smile and left Jaylin alone in the pitch blackness.  
  
However, she was not alone for long. Although she couldn't see anything, she was aware of a presence that was just suddenly there with her in the room.  
  
"If that's you, priest, you had better release me." A soft snicker of a laugh told her that she was correct. "You set me up for this."  
  
"It's all going remarkably well, isn't it?"  
  
"No! Do you know what she's going to do to me?"  
  
"Of course. Break you to her will so you'll have no choice but to attack Zelgadis."  
  
"Keep that tone from your voice, priest or I swear I'll cut your tongue out."  
  
"You'll not ever trust me will you?"  
  
"What reason have I to trust you?" There came a sigh from the darkness.  
  
"I have my reasons, and you must believe that if you do not come into Eris' power it would go much worse for your Zelgadis than if you were there to help instead of hinder him." That infuriating tone of half amusement! If she had the power, she would have cut out his tongue. She hissed at him, pulling at the chains, allowing the pain to calm her down. How could it possibly be better for Zel if she were fighting against him? Did nothing that Xellos said ever make any sense?  
  
"I take it that you're not getting me out of this?"  
  
"Well, no. I'm sure you'll think of something. If I were to let you out of this now it would just ruin all my plans."  
  
"And what exactly are those plans?"  
  
"Now that is a secret." With one last infuriating laugh, he was gone. Just come to her in the first place to flaunt his victory over her. She chewed her lip, thinking hard on her present situation. Zel would be here in three days, that was all the time she would have to get out of this. However, straining against the chains wasn't going to work. Forged iron, probably created in Tegyrn, was not going to yield to her pathetic physical strength or even her impressive strength of will. Relying on Zel to get her out was out of the question. By the time he got there she would be broken again. Eris knew how it worked, and Eris could force her against her will. How she was going to do that was unclear, but it would happen.   
  
"Oh Zel," she muttered. "I've sure made a mess of this haven't I?" Zel would have known not to follow the priest in the first place. He would have seen the trick. A flicker of hope rose with that thought. He would have seen the trick, he had seen the trick. He knew what was going on. The clever chimera had to know what Xellos was up to. If he was coming to Sairaag at all it was with a perfect plan. And if he wasn't coming then it really didn't matter what happened to her. The thing she was most worried about was killing him with her own blade and not even knowing what she had done. Zel had to know what was going on. She fell asleep many hours later, still praying that Zel would have a plan.  
  
Berihn did not even know that she had entered the room until she placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. His heart beat so hard he had to force himself from wincing. Something just seemed so wrong about his Ebonis now. Before she had been so shy, and now everything she did or said was commanding. And her eyes. Her beautiful black and golden eyes now flecked with those slits of crimson. What had done that? Even as she kissed him, he felt that she was doing it for an act and that whatever affection she had felt for him before was completely erased from her soul. He pulled at her shoulders to stop that kiss, holding her out in front of him for consideration.  
  
"Berihn," she whispered smiling so seductively it cut into his heart. "Do you love me no longer?"  
  
"I do love you, with my whole being I love you, but you have changed." She let her smile drop.  
  
"That is true, I have changed, and it has given me power."  
  
"I do not understand."  
  
"Neither do I. It was Lord Rezo's doing, but it was for the better."  
  
"Ebonis, what has he done to you?"  
  
"You forget who I am, Berihn. Ebonis is a name that holds no meaning for me even from your lips." She turned in his arms so that she no longer could see his eyes.   
  
"Eris, then," he tightened his hold on her arms so that she could not get away from him. "Eris," his voice took on a tone of pleading. "Tell me what he has done to you, and why you don't feel anything for me as you once did."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"It is as obvious as the crimson that stains your eyes. You may give me a smile that would be as beautiful as a winter horizon, and just as cold. And you may kiss me, but there is no fire in it. Your heart has frozen towards me, and even as I point it out you don't look at all shocked to hear it." She pulled her arm from his fingers, sitting down on his bed. "I want to know what I have done to cause this change in you."  
  
"It was nothing you did. I have been altered, Berihn. Rezo has made me a chimera of sorts. My body is still my own, but my soul is that of a demon."  
  
"What? No, he couldn't."  
  
"He did. I feel nothing emotion wise. That is why I cannot make myself love you no matter how hard my mind wishes it so." He knelt at her side, placing his hand on her knee.  
  
"Tell me what I can do to reverse this. There must be a way." She looked off into space, thinking.  
  
"If there is a way it would be found beneath the sealed doors of Rezo's laboratory."  
  
"How do I get there?" She shook her head.  
  
"You can't get there, you lack the power. Only Rezo can open that door, and he would never allow me to find the secret of reversing what he has done to me."  
  
"There must be something else I can try."  
  
"Yes, there is. There is a man who goes by the name of Gourry Gabriev. He carries the sword of light. If you were to beat Gourry in battle, take his sword, and smite the seal on the doors that lead down to the laboratory then we could find a way to banish the demon in my body."  
  
"When dawn sends its first light out I will already be searching for him."  
  
"No need for that. He's coming here, but I lack the power to get the sword from him myself."  
  
"He's coming here?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But, why?" She smiled, forced herself to smile, refusing to answer the question as she stood from his bed. It was strange, but for the longest time after she had left him, he was glad that she was gone. A demon! Of all things that Rezo could have done to her he had chosen to place a demon into her body. Why had he done that? There was no reason for it. An experiment possibly, but then why would it matter if she were to reverse the process? He soon gave up his ponderings. He knew what his quest was. As he polished his sword he wondered what sort of swordsman this Gourry would turn out to be.  
  
If Eris had the power, she would have felt triumph that her plan was going to work. Everything was falling into place for her revenge. Zel would die in the most painful way she could think of. Gourry would die at Berihn's hand, and in dying would give her the means to enter Rezo's laboratory and learn of his secret legacy that he had always hinted about. Once she had that legacy, she would be powerful enough to kill Lina, thereby avenging her lord's murder. It was Lina who had killed him, and Zel who had betrayed him. It was only right that they should die.   
  
Without the use of any light, she made her way through the many corridors of the mansion to a hidden chamber where she kept her best secret. Her success, and the only thing she could ever love. In the hazy light of the room she saw Lord Rezo sitting in a large wooden chair. She came close, examining the wires that she had connected to his brain and hands. She could hear his heartbeat pulse in her own ears, feel his life force. A life force that she had created. She had not slept for days, but to her mind it was worth it for this accomplishment. She sighed deeply as she knelt to place her head in his lap. A perfect clone created from one drop of blood and a page in his book.   
  
"Soon, my Lord Rezo," she whispered. "Soon you'll have your vengeance, and I shall have mine." Before she closed her eyes, she thought she saw him smile.  
  
  
  



	16. Confusing Friends and Enemies

Chapter 16: Confusing Friends and Enemies   
  
Time had just about as much meaning in pitch blackness as it did when she was trapped inside Xellos' world. She had no knowledge of the position of the sun, and the only way she was going to have any idea of how much time had passed would be if she counted the seconds away in her head, an activity both pointless and difficult to keep straight. However, she did guess that it had been over twenty four hours when Eris returned to her, carrying a torch in one hand and something clenched tightly in the other. Jaylin squinted against the glare of the torch, her eyes watering at the harshness of the light. Vaguely, she could make out Eris placing the torch into the iron holder bolted to the wall. Finally she was forced to look down and keep her eyes tightly closed, and only knew that Eris had knelt down next to her by the distillment of air that the motion had created.  
  
"I have something for you," the dark slave girl said in a tone that spoke of no emotion of any kind. "Turn and see." When Jaylin didn't respond, Eris grabbed her chin roughly and pulled her face around. "Open your eyes and look upon this." She must have been really proud of whatever it was if she wanted Jaylin to see it so badly. Not wanting to have her eyelids pushed open, she did her best to unclose her lids and gaze upon whatever it was that Eris held.   
  
It didn't look like anything special, just a stone of the deepest cobalt. The fire danced over its polished surface, and if Jaylin twisted her head just right, she could make out her own features amidst the reflected flames. After careful scrutiny, it still did not look like anything important so she turned her attention up to Eris who watched her intently.  
  
"Do you know what this is?" Her captor asked softly.  
  
"Should I?"  
  
"I suppose you wouldn't," the accent on the word, you, made the term sound mocking. "That's why I'm going to explain it to you. It may look simple, but it is a highly complex mechanical device."  
  
"Mechanical?" She knew she shouldn't have asked the question and prodded this madness on, but she was genuinely curious now. Mechanical was a word that she had never heard before.  
  
"Mechanical, a machine. You wouldn't know about those either though would you? Let's just say that when I implant this into your forehead here," she pressed on the place with a forefinger. "You will be consumed with the desire to kill the chimera that you will not be able to escape as it will be inside of your mind. Much more thorough than any hypnotist trick in Mestronia, wouldn't you agree?" Jaylin swallowed, remembering again what Eris would force her to do once she had control over her. The other slave smiled a brief imitation of a smile, turning her hand over so that Jaylin could see the other side of the jewel. A bolt, no, a screw of sorts spiraled out from the flattened edge of the cobalt stone, and surrounding that edge were several barbs. She licked her lips, trying to calm the fear that was rising dangerously. Eris stood, pressing Jaylin's head against the wall and strategically placing the cobalt device against her skin. Her fear rose to an almost panic state when she could no longer move her head, and she had to force her breathing to slow. Eris leaned down to look her captive in the eyes, smiling all the while.  
  
"I'm not that cruel," she said to Jaylin who cringed back. For a moment she thought that Eris meant that she was not going to put that horrid thing into her skull, but that wasn't it. The black haired girl raised two fingers that Jaylin had no choice but to focus on. The rest of the world faded away as she stared at those raised fingers, and when they snapped downward to join the others in the making of a fist, her consciousness slipped away from her. The last thought she had was that when she woke up, she would no longer belong to herself and that she must keep her sword no matter what happened.   
  
Finally, was the only word that Zel could think of as he topped the last prairie hill and looked down to the forest surrounded by the city of Sairaag. He was just about to sprint down the hill when the all too familiar presence of Xellos appeared behind him.  
  
"Hold a moment, Zelgadis," the priest said. The chimera tensed, his hand moving for his hilt. This was not the time that he wanted to play games with this trickster.   
  
"Not this time," he hissed over his shoulder, not giving the man the respect of actually speaking to him face to face. "You'll not be messing with my head with all your riddles when I'm this close." The priest opened his mouth, but Zel waved a hand at him and began down the last hill. He should have known that he couldn't get away from that man if he wanted to say something. He had barely gotten out of hearing distance when Xellos appeared in front of him, for once without the smirk that he was never without.  
  
"You have to listen to this, Zelgadis. It would not bode well for you to just enter the mansion without a plan."  
  
"What mansion? I thought she was in the Towerwest," rage was coming on as it always did when dealing with Xellos.  
  
"It's close, a few miles or so, relax, that part isn't important. I'll lead you right to it if you wish it so, but you have to listen to me first."  
  
"As I've said before, I don't have much choice in that. Whatever you have to say, be brief. I can see my goal before me and you're three seconds from the brink of the abyss if you get in my way once more." The priest sighed, an odd sound coming from him.  
  
"I can see why you two fit together so well. You both have the same vicious temper, and --"  
  
"My patience is gone, priest," he hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"Anyway, you'll not be able to just walk in, take her in your arms, and walk out again. She's not who you think she is, and your enemy is not who you think they are either."  
  
"What sort of riddle is that, priest? If that was an attempt at helping me then you've failed."  
  
"I can't tell you more."  
  
"Then get out of my sight." Zel had learned a long while ago not to ask any questions. If Xellos had something to say, he would give Zel the information and Zel would never ask for anything more. It was a waste of time should he have tried, and it only made him more frustrated. He found it much more soothing to just get the trickster away from him as soon as possible so he could continue his quest on his own knowledge and determination. The situation was the same now, possibly even more so since he was so close to the end.   
  
"Very well then," the priest smirked one last time before vanishing. Zel snorted to himself, shook his head, and then started toward Sairaag. He didn't even bother to try to figure anything more complicated than where the safest place was to step on the way down the steep hillside. It wasn't worth it. There wasn't enough information for him to make a careful enough plan. Not that there would be much of a choice in planning when he got there anyway. He had to go inside, find Jaylin, and get her out again by any means necessary. All that stuff about his enemy not being who he thought it was didn't much matter since he couldn't do anything with it.  
  
As he entered the outskirts of the city, another element not planned for came into play. At first, he thought it was only a trick of his mind, but as he came closer he saw that it wasn't his imagination after all. The short red haired girl in black cloak was who he thought she was, still accompanied by her blonde swordsman, and another girl as well. Lina was in Sairaag. The question was why. After following her at a distance for a short time, he came to the conclusion that she was headed for the same place as he was, but she must have a different reason. Whatever that was didn't much matter, her just being there was to his benefit. When the sun had sunk low in the western horizon, Lina and her companions entered the mansion with Zelgadis behind them.  
  
Of course, he couldn't enter with them, he needed a better place to come inside, preferably a window where he wouldn't be noticed. Puzzling it out, he looked up along the many catwalks and towers of the mansion. Perhaps Jaylin was being kept in one of them. Only one way to find out, he thought to himself as he jumped to catch hold of the roof and pull himself up. Slinking along the dark gargoyle carvings of the building, he eventually found a window that revealed the main entry chamber perfectly. He crouched beside it so he could watch what was going on.   
  
The fiery haired sorceress was standing in defensive stance in front of an elaborate staircase. Her friends standing to either side, Gourry with his sword drawn, and the other girl stood ready with hands poised for a spell. He took a moment to wonder who she was. She knew magic, that was obvious, but she was so young, barely fourteen in his estimation. How'd she get caught up with Lina? There was another girl inside as well, though it was obvious that she was not with Lina's company. As soon as he saw her his heart leapt into his throat, and it took him a few moments to figure out why. It was his demon side reaching out to one of its own kind. Whoever that dark featured girl was, she was at least half demon. What did Lina want with her?  
  
"That's Eris," a familiar voice whispered in his ear. He closed his eyes, forcing himself not to jump at the priest's unexpected appearance at his elbow.  
  
"Eris," he repeated softly. "She's a demon."  
  
"Partly, yes. Rezo created her thus the same way he created you." Zel allowed himself to feel one moment's pity for her. He knew what it was like to be joined with the wretched and unfeeling species.   
  
"Be careful of your feelings for her, whether of pity or hate. She's not what she seems to be."  
  
"Warning taken, but could you tell me why Lina is here? No, I suppose not. I'll find out myself."  
  
"You're right, you will find out for yourself." Xellos smirked. "Besides, her being here works out well for you doesn't it?" For once Zel shared in the priest's mirth.  
  
"It does. One more thing, priest. Where exactly is Jaylin being kept within these walls?" Xellos shook his head.  
  
"You'll find her," he said dropping his smile and turning to look into the window. "Oho, looks like things are getting interesting." At the prompting, Zel swept his gaze to the scene in the entry chamber. Eris' hand was stretched forth to point at something emerging from the shadows. Squinting, Zel could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone he knew very well.   
  
"Rezo!" He cried involuntarily, leaping up from his crouched position. In a fit of fury, he spun to glare at Xellos. "That is not Rezo, I saw him die." The priest shrugged, fingering his staff.   
  
"Who am I to say how things happen? There is something else there that will be of more interest to you, however." There was another man in the room when Zel looked again, fighting with Gourry. Both were impressive swordsmen so there was no way Zel could guess what the outcome would be. But that wasn't what Xellos was talking about. In a shadowed corner stood a shape leaning against the wall.   
  
"Jaylin," he whispered, placing a hand on the glass.  
  
"Quite right. If you want her, you had better get in there." The priest vanished with his usual abruptness, leaving Zel to ponder over how exactly to get inside. The glass would draw attention if he just shattered it, though there wasn't any way to open it either. He was just debating on whether he should try a quick punch when a shrill scream sounded so loud that he could hear through the window. Upon turning his attention back to the scene in the chamber, he saw Lina standing before Rezo, having a power struggle with her on the losing end. That decided him. There was no way he was going to allow her to die. She had saved his life, now it was his turn to save hers.   
  
He stood, taking the one step back that he was allowed on the narrow sill. After climbing on the back of the gargoyle, he figured out his strategy. Once he had it straight in his head, he jumped from the hideous stone carving and kicked the window in. Glass shattered and he leapt through the makeshift entryway. Another quick calculation was made before he jumped again, this time landing slightly behind the sorceress and out of the range of fire. With two slight gestures, he had cast a protection spell over Lina, giving her that moment's rest she needed to step back.  
  
"Zelgadis," she said in a surprised and relieved tone.   
  
"Get Jaylin and then get everyone out of here. I'll catch up to you."  
  
"Zelgadis?"  
  
"Go, I said!" He raised his arms for a spell as he faced the smirking priest of red. "Remember me, old friend?" He questioned, gathering power in his fingers. "Were your sins in life so great that you will be forced to die twice?" With the last words, he flung the Gob Flare at Rezo, but the priest just smiled. His staff was raised and the Flare disintegrated with no effort at all. Eyes bulging and mouth agape, Zel had to take a moment to think exactly how that happened. Rezo laughed.  
  
"A marvelous attempt, but Zelgadis, I'm not the one you shall be fighting."  
  
"And who do I fight? If not you, then there is no reason for contention in my soul."  
  
"Beautifully said, but your advisory stands behind you, waiting for a match of the sword." It was curiosity more than anything that forced him to turn around. As soon as he had, he wished that he had possessed the will power not to have looked. Jaylin was behind him, glowing with some sort of inner force that he could not imagine where she had found it within herself. Her sword was brandished, and her beautiful face was contorted in a snarl of hate. Hate for him. She gazed on him as if she did not know him. He shook his head. All of this must be a lie! Some cruel trick of Xellos invented to drive him insane. Rezo was dead, yet he smirked behind the chimera. Jaylin was also dead, yet she stared at him with her weapon raised for combat.  
  
"O Jaylin, no," he unsheathed his blade only to thrust it far from himself. Lina, watching the goings on from a close distance, ready to intervene at a moment's notice, snatched it up from where it had stopped. "You know I could never fight with you in this way." Rezo laughed, a sound that ground into his brain and soul.  
  
"You can and you will."  
  
"If it be by her blade then there would be no sweeter way to die for me, although I had wished that it was not so."  
  
"Wishes hold no power." Her voice, so cold, so full of hate. Why did she bear him such malice? Why did she not remember him? What had the priest done to her? Tears ran down his stone face, but he paid them no attention. Jaylin took three steps nearer.  
  
"Fight!" She commanded in a hiss. He sank to his knees in agony.  
  
"No! Never you. I cannot bring myself to fight you like this." She swore at him, swinging her sword down to his neck with all her might, only to stop inches from the stone skin.  
  
"Zel!" Lina's cry brought his eyes to her, barely catching his sword hilt as he did so. She had thrown him his sword, even though he was powerless to use it against her. But when he looked at Lina, the message was clear. Nodding, he brought the sword up to knock her blade from his throat. She smiled, as if the thought of fighting him pleased her immensely.  
  
"You know I'm stronger than you," he told her as he stood. "You know I can beat you. Why bother with this?" She hissed and attacked with such ferocity he had to use his demon speed to counter the blows. He had trained her. He knew her style. There was no way she could beat him. His confidence in his own abilities did little to help him against fighting her without harming her. Though it pained him more than it did her, he finally saw an easy strike to her wrist and took it. Her blade clattered on the floor as her other hand pressed against the cut. The dark haired girl who had come in Lina's company grabbed the sword while Zel launched himself at Jaylin. She struggled violently against him, cutting herself further in making him scrape his stone fingers against her flesh in trying to hold her still. In the end, he was forced to use his blade at her throat to pin her against a wall. There would be no way he could go after Rezo while trying to keep her from him.  
  
He glanced about helplessly for a moment, until he saw Lina's swordsman panting a ways from him. The other man he had been fighting was no where in sight.  
  
"Gourry," he called. "Keep hold of her." The blonde swordsman came at the summons, grabbing Jaylin and restraining her easily. Since he was twice her height, there would be no way she could escape, although she did try. Zel turned back to face the red priest, blade brandished.  
  
"No Zel!" Lina yelled. "We're going to have to run for it!" He looked back at her, at her pleading eyes. She really didn't want to have him fight Rezo. "Get out of here!" She aimed a spell at the stone ceiling, collapsing it between them and their enemies. Growling curses, he sheathed his sword and motioned Gourry to go. He gave one last look then quickly followed after. Behind him, above the clatter of the falling stone, he heard the laughter of a dead man.  
  
  



	17. Jaylin's Memory

Chapter 17: Jaylin's Memory  
  
"I thought she was dead!" Lina cried in shock when she saw the slave in Gourry's arms, still fighting with all her strength. Zel had thought her dead also, and even now he was questioning what had happened to her. "How can she still be alive?"  
  
"I'm wondering that as well," Zel said as he took her struggling form from the swordsman. He winced as she spit in his face and grabbed her hand that she tried to claw his eye with. Lina shook her head and held up a rope taken from one of the deep and numerous hidden pockets of her black cloak suggestively. Zel nodded though it took all his will to actually tie his friend. He forced himself to see her for what she had become and not what she had been. She snarled as he bound her, cutting down to his heart.  
  
"What happened to her?" Lina asked from behind him. "I thought. . ."  
  
"You thought right, but her mind has been tampered with. In the exact manner as they do it in Mestronia."  
  
"Again? How could that be possible?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, can you help her?"  
  
"I'm not sure."   
  
"A lot of 'if' involved with this isn't there? How out of character for you, Zel." He whirled on her.  
  
"Leave my uncertainty alone, sorceress! If you have any ideas they would be more than welcome. If not, then keep still while I think." She bit her lip and slipped into the shadows of their improvised shelter, an abandoned house in a remote part of Sairaag. The dark haired girl came to stand by her side, Jaylin's sword shining in the moonlight. Jaylin's sword. He looked back at her. She glared at him, at all of them, but when her eyes went to the girl who held her sword, her muscles relaxed and her eyes turned pleading.  
  
"Don't," she begged. "Don't hurt my sword." Zel's stare snapped once to the blade and then back at her again as he began to have an idea. "Please, give it to me, or at least put it down." He would have to be careful if this was going to work without damaging her already confused mind any further. He reached for her sword, which the girl relinquished gratefully.  
  
"It is a nice blade," he commented conversationally. He felt Lina give him a quizzical look, but he ignored her. Jaylin bit her lip. "Where did you get it?" She shook her head, hissing at him. "Where did you get it?" He repeated with a bit more force.  
  
"You should know, Shaman. Give it back."  
  
"Take that tone with me, my girl, and I'll smash this weapon into dust. You don't want me to do that do you?" He didn't want to say things like that to her, and would never ever harm her weapon. It was named after him after all. And he knew that the only reason she needed the sword so much was because it was how she remembered him. It was quite touching to know that no matter who tampered with her mind, she always kept hold of her sword because it was named for him. She really does love me, he thought as he caught a reflection of himself in her blade.  
  
"You wouldn't!" She strained against her bonds in desperation, tears slipping down her face. He sat down as close to her as he dared, fingering the sword as gently as she would have herself. Her eyes followed it more than she paid attention to him.  
  
"You're right," he told her. "I wouldn't, but I'm most certainly not giving it back to you." She snarled, such a horrid sound when he was used to hearing only her soft musical voice. There was nothing he could do for her since he did not know what had caused her to turn against him this way. Something was different in the process of her memory. Mestronia had only clouded her thought with unknowing, whatever had been done this time had left her with a perfect knowledge of who he was.  
  
"I thought you said that you'd killed Rezo, Lina-sama," Zel heard the sentence behind him. He decided to listen in carefully, leaving Jaylin alone to settle down and rest for a while before working with her any further. It was the black haired child that had said it.   
  
"I did, I know I did," the fiery haired girl returned as she perched herself on what might have been a fine chair at some earlier time. The child knelt in front of her, staring up at her in confusion.  
  
"Then where did this Rezo come from? And who is that Eris person?" Lina just shook her head.  
  
"I don't know who Eris is, but I do know that the Rezo we just saw is a fake."  
  
"But he was so powerful. He went against you like you were nothing but a --"  
  
"All right, all right, I get the point." Zel almost smiled at Lina's reaction to the belittlement of her strength in magic. "But whoever he is, he's obviously after us for some reason or another. And I don't think he's just going to go away by himself."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Gourry asked sitting next to Lina. They seemed to have gotten closer in Zel's absence. He wondered if their relationship was still professional or if it had deepened into something else entirely.  
  
"We're going to have to get rid of him somehow, but first I'd like to know why he's doing this." Zel snickered to himself. Unfortunate for him that it had not gone unnoticed by Lina. She straightened in frustration and anger, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.  
  
"And just what do you find so amusing over there? If you're so smart why don't you enlighten us on who this guy is."  
  
"It's Rezo, of course."  
  
"I know it's Rezo, Zelgadis. I'm not blind. But I killed Rezo, remember?"  
  
"Well, either we didn't really kill him, or the Rezo that we just fought is a copy."  
  
"Copy," Lina tested the new word, thinking on if it made sense or not. "How would that have been accomplished?"  
  
"Rezo, the real Rezo that is, had a vast library filled with literature of magical and scientific content. Ancient methods of Healing, and other such volumes."  
  
"Get to the point!" Lina hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"The point is that Eris, being a disciple of the Red Priest, would have access to at least some of those volumes, as well as the means of carrying out experiments. She wants you dead because you killed her master, and she wants me dead because I betrayed him. She created this copy Rezo to help her since she is no where near powerful enough to take you on herself, and she is the one who messed with Jaylin's mind so that she would attack me knowing full well that I would never be able to hurt her. Simple as that."  
  
"And you find this amusing?"  
  
"Do I look amused?"  
  
"Do you ever look amused?" Zel opened his mouth for a retort.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute," Gourry spoke up, more than likely confused on some aspect of Zel's explanation. "All that stuff about copies is all well and good, but what I want to know is, why was that Berihn guy after me?" Zel had to think about that. Berihn? After Gourry? For the first thing, why was the master of Mestronia there at all? For another what reason would he have for attacking the blonde swordsman? For once, Gourry had brought up an interesting notion that needed to be contemplated.  
  
"I can't answer that, Gourry."  
  
"Jaylin can," said an all too familiar, nerve grating voice that seemed to come from all directions. Zel's muscles tensed and he instinctively took a step closer to his friend to protect her.  
  
"Who's there?" The black haired girl stuttered the question as she looked around. Lina didn't jump, but regarded Zel's reaction to the voice with cool reasoning.  
  
"Zel? Would you mind revealing the mystery?" Zel was incredibly tempted to tell the sorceress that it was a secret, but bit his tongue before the words could escape.  
  
"There's no mystery. It's just that meddling priest."  
  
"Another priest?" Gourry moaned, reaching for his sword hilt. Xellos chose that moment to appear sitting right next to Lina. She gasped, leaping from her perch, a spell gathering in her hand.  
  
"Now, now," Xellos drawled, grinning. "There's no need for anything like that. I'm here to give you some advice."  
  
"No riddles," Zel snarled, hovering over Jaylin who was being oddly still for a change. "No games, no secrets. If you have anything useful to contribute then do so. If not then leave!"  
  
"Such a temper. I restored your Jaylin to you didn't I? Hmm?"  
  
"It was you who brought me here in the first place," Jaylin said. Zel gave her a questioning look. Whoever had programmed her had forgotten to cloak her memories of the priest in shadow.  
  
"But my dear," Xellos looked as if he would come close to her, but Zel kept him back with a hand to his blade. "You had to come here for anything to work out the way I have it planned."  
  
"Oh?" Lina asked raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you --"  
  
"Don't bother, Lina," Zel interrupted. "It's a secret." The priest smiled at the chimera.  
  
"Have I become as predictable as all that?" Zel snorted, not even deeming the statement worthy of an answer.  
  
"Do you have anything useful to tell us?" Zel persisted, still standing guard over Jaylin, who instinctively cowered behind him. She most certainly did not enjoy having the priest close. He must have manipulated her the same way he had manipulated Zel. However, the why of all this was still a mystery.  
  
"I already have told you. Jaylin can unveil this." The girl snarled behind Zel, and for the briefest of moments she rested her head on the back of his knee. Somehow, the priest being there was making her forget that she was supposed to hate him. Xellos came as close to her as Zel would allow, kneeling so as to be eye level. "Can't you, Jaylin? You can tell them why Berihn is here can't you?" She hissed, curling closer to Zel and writhing against the rope that held her arms useless.   
  
"Away from me, priest! I've not forgotten you, and what you've done." He stood, placing a hand over his heart in mock pain.  
  
"So bitter! What has made you so? It was not my fault. You did not have to come with me."   
  
"Away from me, I said." Zel stepped forward, slipping the sword half way from its sheath.   
  
"As she says. I'll not have her hurting herself trying to get to you."  
  
"Why defend her? She hates you. I would have told you that would happen, but you never asked." Zel barely caught himself from interrupting with something truly pointless.   
  
"She doesn't hate me," he argued. "Her mind has been manipulated again." Xellos threw back his head and laughed for an annoying period of time.   
  
"What an excuse you've found for such a mistake, Zelgadis. I'm surprised at your lack of logic." Zel hunched slightly at the words, second guessing his assumptions as he began to see what Xellos was getting at. "I can't say I blame her in the least. After you abandoned her at Rezo's tower with the less than merciful Shabranigdo, I wouldn't be very fond of you either."  
  
"You're treading on dangerous ground, Xellos. Begone or I'll be sure to keep my own secrets of your disappearance."  
  
"I'm just stating the facts of the matter, Zelgadis. And you know I'm right don't you?" Zel hesitated, letting his doubt be seen. It was a plausible explanation. But surely she would have forgiven him, wouldn't she?   
  
"Well forget stating facts, unless it happens to be why Berihn is here. And why everyone seems to want us dead would be helpful as well," Lina interrupted, her hands on her hips threateningly.   
  
"But Lina, you can figure that out on your own. Besides. . . it's a secret." The priest laid a finger against his smirking lips, giggling as if he had made the best joke in all time, before vanishing completely. Lina's mouth dropped open, incredulous that anyone had stood up to her and refused her information.  
  
"You know," she finally said. "It would be better for him if I never saw him again."  
  
"He gave us what we needed," Zel said, wondering why he was defending the annoying trickster.  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
"He said that Jaylin knows what's going on. We just need to get her to tell us." Jaylin, however, had returned to her original state now that the priest had gone.   
  
"Oh yeah, that'll be a piece of cake," Lina tossed her hair with one hand and turned away from the group. Gourry stood to follow her as he had been doing for the entire summer. The dark haired girl came up to Zel, who was having a staredown with Jaylin.  
  
"Maybe I could help?" She asked in a tiny child's voice. Zel looked down at her innocent face with its enormous dark blue eyes and almost snickered.  
  
"And who exactly are you that you could offer help with this particular problem?"  
  
"I'm Amelia, the princess of Seyruun." Now, where had Lina found a princess to travel with? No, never mind, he didn't want to know.  
  
"Indeed. Well, the thought is appreciated, but I doubt there is anything you can do." The girl bit her lip, staring down. Then she ran off after Lina, and Zel was left alone with Jaylin. He didn't know if he had hurt her feelings, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, there wasn't anything she could do. If Jaylin was truly angry with him for deserting her, then there wasn't anything he could do either.   
  
"Jaylin," he spoke her name softly as he settled down across from her. "I am sorry I left you. I thought you were dead. Truly, you should be dead after that explosion. I had no idea you had survived, and you know that I would never want anything to happen to you." She glared at him for a moment before turning her face away so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Please, you have to forgive me." She shook her head, as if trying to clear it, and Zel thought he could see, for the briefest of moments, a tear forming in her cobalt eyes.   
  
"How could you believe that I would leave you on purpose? After all I went through to find you again? I became a chimera for you." As he spoke, he drew closer to her even though he knew he shouldn't. With timid fingers, he reached to bring her head back around to face him. Yes, he was sure of the tears now. He could clearly see the trails they had made down her dusty cheeks. She was coming around. In another moment or so, she would be his Jaylin again and all of this could be put behind them.   
  
"Zel," she whispered, sounding like her old self again. She attempted to raise her hands, but found that they were bound behind her. "What have I done?" She tossed her head to get the strands of silver blue hair from her face, and for the first time Zel noticed a headband that she had acquired from somewhere. A simple strip of black cloth.  
  
"You've done nothing by your own will, Jaylin, and I won't have you blaming yourself for anything that's happened. Understood?" She nodded slowly, appearing to be disoriented as if she was listening to something he couldn't hear. He sighed, wishing that what had happened could have been avoided, but happy at the outcome. As she sat completely still, apparently deep in thought, he went behind her to untie the ropes. The moment she was free, she gingerly touched her forearm, curiously staring at the dried blood. Guilt rose in him as he watched her. He had inflicted that cut.  
  
"You've improved your fighting skills," he told her, swallowing hard. "I'm afraid I had no choice." She licked her lips, staring off at nothing. "Jaylin?" Her eyes raised to his, though they weren't focused. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She was trembling. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Where is my sword?" She asked, fumbling at her belt for the missing weapon. "Who's taken my sword?" This wasn't right. There was most definitely something wrong with her behavior. Zel wondered if Jaylin was as confused as he was becoming.   
  
"It's here, Jaylin. No one has taken it," he soothed her as he watched her hands twitch about the empty sheath. The oddity of her actions were making him very frustrated. Abruptly, she gripped her sheath while one hand climbed up to finger the mysterious headband. Was the strip of cloth hiding some injury she had gotten previous to when he had found her? Only one way to find out. She did not react when he took her hand away from her temple. With the other he pulled the cloth to reveal whatever was there, and gasped. In the exact center of her forehead glittered a cobalt stone. The surrounding skin was slightly bruised, as if the jewel had been implanted in her skull. He would have touched it, but she grabbed his hand.  
  
"Who has done this?" Even as he asked, he knew the answer. It had been Eris, but why had she done it? She didn't answer him, and they passed a long moment with gazes locked on each other. "Jaylin."  
  
In a flash of motion, like he had taught her to use, she shoved him backward and drew his sword. He found himself on his back and when he sat up he was staring at Jaylin down his blade. She stared back calmly, the cobalt jewel flashing by the firelight. How could that insignificant stone be enough to control her? What sort of magic did Eris know?  
  
"Jaylin, there is no point in this. You know you cannot kill me with a mere sword."  
  
"Can't I?" Even as she spoke she lifted the blade high for a rapid downward slash that would supposedly kill him. If he weren't made of stone.   
  
"Fireball!"  
  
"No!" Zel started up, knocking the sword blade aside effortlessly, but it was too late. Lina had seen Zel in what she assumed was danger, and thrown the fireball at Jaylin. The tiny slave girl was thrown backward with the magic force, a power so strong her body crashed through the wooden wall of the tiny shack refuge. Zel snapped his gaze to glare at Lina, and got a look of absolute confusion.  
  
"Fool!" He shouted before running out to see if he could Heal her before she died. Lina yelled something after him, but he paid her no attention. When he reached Jaylin, she was surprisingly sitting up with her arms wrapped about her, alive, and seemingly unburned. A fireball that had enough force to propel her through a wall had not caused any other mark on her than the scratches the wood had inflicted. Her clothes were ruined, but from what he could tell it was not burned to her skin as it should have been if logic were being followed.   
  
"Light," he whispered as he advanced slowly toward her. He did not want to frighten her and have her run off. "What are you?" She survived things that should not be physically possible, and Healing spells, at least any that he had ever tried on her, had been ineffective. Was his Jaylin a monster? A species created by the Lord of Nightmares and all Chaos herself? An immortal species who could not be harmed by normal methods of magic. How had that happened? Had Rezo created her the way he had been created himself? Or Eris perhaps?   
  
Lina's hand cupped his shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer. "What is she, Zelgadis?" He swallowed, and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"A fireball like that should have killed her."  
  
"Don't you think I hadn't noticed that?" Jaylin, favoring her left wrist, stood slowly, but she remained hunched over like a wild animal. Zel reached a hand out to her carefully, not wanting to startle her. "Jaylin, come here to me. I know you, and you're not like this." She hissed, shoving his blade in her sheath.  
  
"Perhaps you never really knew me after all." With that she sprinted off into the plains. The tall grass swallowed her short form within seconds. Lina started forward, power gathering in her hand for a Dragon Slave.  
  
"Come on, Zel," she called over her shoulder. "We've got to catch her before she gets too far."  
  
"Don't bother!" She skidded to a stop, the grasses revealing her presence.  
  
"What did you say?" She asked, half turning to give him a quizzical look.  
  
"I said don't bother. The plains here end in the south, and once she gets to the forest you'll never find her."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"You want to waste valuable time going after her?"  
  
"Considering she has some information that might be helpful, yes."  
  
"She's not going to let you find her, but she'll be tracking us I'm sure. She still wants to kill me."  
  
"You don't sound very concerned about it."  
  
"Eris may have turned Jaylin against me, but Jaylin has no method of murder save her sword. No matter how she tries, simple steel will never be enough to finish me."  
  
"All right, fine. So what do we do now?"  
  
"You're going to find out exactly how much of the original's power a copy can possess so we'll know what we're up against. I'm not going up with him again until I know just how strong he is."  
  
"And what are you going to do?"  
  
"I've got business of my own."  
  
"Don't play that Xellos act with me, Zel. What are you planning?"  
  
"I'm going after Jaylin."  
  
"But you just said there would be no point in that."  
  
"I can track her."  
  
"Take me with you," came another voice. Zel didn't even have to look to know that it was the princess Amelia. Sighing, he turned to regard the child who gazed up at him with innocent admiration. Strange child, she couldn't have been more than fourteen.  
  
"Out of the question," he told her, shifting his sword belt just to give his hands something to do. She wilted visibly in disappointment.   
  
"But --"  
  
"I've already said no. Go with Lina." She looked as if he had slapped her, but there was no way he was taking a child like her into the forest after Jaylin. She would slow him down, and he didn't feel like explaining his every move to her as they went along. Besides, he had something else to do once he had recovered Jaylin.  
  
Amelia looked questioningly to Lina.  
  
"Go on Amelia, I'll be back inside in a minute." She licked her lips, but obeyed silently. She sure didn't act like any princess Zel had ever known, not that he had known that many.   
  
"Where did she come from?" He finally had to ask.   
  
"Seyruun. We picked her up after an adventure with a couple bounty hunters."  
  
"And she's still with you because?" Lina sighed, massaging her temple.  
  
"I seem to just attract all the nutcases of the world, Zel. She's not so bad. A rather talented Shaumanist actually. You should get to know her." He raised an eyebrow at the last sentence.   
  
"I'll meet you back here at noon."  
  
"Noon? Pretty confident in your tacking abilities aren't you?"  
  
"Any reason why I shouldn't be?"  
  
"Noon it is. Take care of yourself." She flashed him a victory sign and disappeared into the shack. Zel nodded to himself, tossed his cape back, and sprinted off toward the south. He could find her, he knew that, but he did not know how he was going to proceed after that.  
  
Once he was a ways away from the shack, he shifted course to the Towerwest. There was some important details kept there that he needed to find. If Eris could indeed have resurrected or copied Rezo somehow, and how she had created the mind control device, would be stored at the Towerwest. If he knew these things, then he could fight, but one cannot fight what one does not understand. It would be much better if he knew what he was up against.  
  
He didn't want to lie to Lina, but if she knew of all the precious magical knowledge collected by the Red Priest, she would most certainly have wanted to research herself. And pulling her away from all that power would be something more difficult than he was prepared to deal with.  
  
  



	18. Eris' Plan and Zel's Frustration

Chapter 18: Eris' Plan and Zel's Frustration   
  
"What happened?" Eris demanded coldly of Berihn who was bandaging the last wound inflicted by Gourry's talent of the sword.   
  
"I wasn't prepared," he growled, tying the strip of linen tight. "He'll not survive another encounter."  
  
"I'm disappointed in you, Berihn." He winced.  
  
"You can feel no disappointment, Eris," he bit the word. "You're no longer human enough for that." She crumbled a little at the statement, and for a moment he wondered if he were wrong.   
  
"But I should be. It's supposed to be there, my mind is telling me so. Berihn, I thought that if anyone could understand it would have been you. Please, don't tell me I was mistaken." No sword wound could ever hurt him as it did to look at her the way she had become. He tossed his unpolished weapon on the bed so he could stand and embrace her. She was still his Ebonis, no matter what Rezo had done to her, and he still loved her more than anything he had once thought important in his life.   
  
"I am sorry, Eris. I'll not disappoint you again. You'll have the sword of light." She favored him with a smile, though it was painted. She favored him also with a kiss, a brief brushing of her lips against his that held all the passion of a dead winter's wind. He stopped himself before he could shudder, focusing on what she had been and what she would be again once he had triumphed over Gourry.  
  
"Eris," he began, stepping away from her embrace. "What have you done to the slave girl?"  
  
"The chimera's slave? What does it matter?"  
  
"It doesn't, but I did not know that such magic was attainable. Even Mestronian hypnotism cannot match it."  
  
"It was not magic, but science. It calls power from no ancient lord of darkness, but from the laws of the earth."  
  
"But why destroy Zelgadis? What has he done?"  
  
"He betrayed my master. Vengeance must be taken, and she is the only one capable."  
  
"I do not understand."  
  
"You do not need to. Your only concern is to retrieve the sword of light. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must tend to Lord Rezo." She backed out, leaving him alone and confused. He could not understand. He was only a tool she was using to obtain the ultimate goal. That being to avenge her Lord and then to enter his secret laboratories deep within the Towerwest. She would take the power that he had there and banish the demon from her body. Then Berihn and she could be together, and all this could be put behind them. She needed the copy to take her to where the legacy was held, that and the fact that the demon still adored him more than anything. She knew that it was taking her to him, as it did always, following his scent and presence. She loved Rezo, and she loved the copy she had created of him using his drop of blood, but it was still just a copy.  
  
She opened the door to his chamber, casting down her eyes and entering. He was there, she could feel him, sitting regally in his chair, the only piece of furniture in the dark stone room.   
  
"You let them go," she said, standing by the door. "You could have destroyed them, but you let them go."  
  
"I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I want to play with them first." That statement confused her, but she discarded it without much thought. Her plan was working well. She would have the sword of light soon, then Rezo could lead her to his legacy and together they would destroy Lina. She knelt before her creation and her master, resting her head in his lap. Soon she would have her life back and everything would be as it was before Rezo had ever taken her from Mestronia.  
  
  
The Towerwest loomed before Zelgadis, heralded by the moonlight. He'd never been inside before, but had heard Rezo speak of it once. All the Red Priest's secrets were beyond those doors. Perhaps even a way he could reverse the effects of the spell that had been cast on him three years before. He entertained that thought for a moment before returning back to task. In the center of the main entrance chamber lay two doors that were fastened in the floor. Those would lead down to the experimental chambers and libraries. Even as he looked, he knew that he could not get down there and that Eris would not have been able to either. Rezo would surely have locked away his most secret of secrets. Whatever Eris had learned would be in the upper chambers.   
  
There was not much to be found once he got there, but it was enough for him to confirm that Rezo was indeed a copy. He found scribbled notes and a shard of glass with a drop of blood preserved inside, and a large glass container that held the remnants of some kind of liquid. That was where she must have kept the developing being. According to the notes the entire process had taken no longer than a week. Amazing. He had not known such power existed. He shuffled through the notes until he found something that looked exactly like the cobalt stone he had seen implanted in Jaylin's forehead. He read through what was written about it, though most of the terms were unfamiliar to him. The only thing he could puzzle out was that Eris could transmit her commands to that stone, sending them directly to Jaylin's brain where she could not shut them out. That was how Eris maintained control. If he were to remove the stone, she would not be susceptible to Eris any longer. As for the copy of the Red Priest, he would have to consult with Lina to see how powerful he was. Eris had made a mistake in creating him. He was much stronger than she, and though she might think she had him in her control, she could never be sure. He would deal with that later, though, for now he had to find Jaylin and rid her of her ornament.  
  
There was something else about Jaylin that he was confused about. He pondered it as he tracked her through the plains and into the forests that surrounded Sairaag. She was human, she had to be. There was no way that a monster could be born to mortal parents, it just didn't happen. Yet she wasn't exactly human because natural laws didn't seem to apply to her. She had lived through the fireball. She had lived through the explosion following Zolf's Dragon Slave, and all of his healing spells had not been effective on her. He racked his brain for the answer, but he simply did not know what she was. Human, yes, but something more. He did not think that even she knew what she was. The only thing he could come up with was the possibility that she was immune to magic. Whenever a spell was cast at her she could neutralize its effects, or absorb the power, he couldn't determine which it was. Eris must have known this, that is why she used science instead of magic to control her. She knew that magic wouldn't work. So she must have known what Jaylin was, but getting the answer from her was very unlikely.   
  
There was one more thing that he was confused about. When Jaylin and he had fought back in the mansion, she had radiated power, much more than any sorcerer could handle unaided. Jaylin was no sorcerer. She did not understand the process of gathering power like she had. So where had it come from? It just didn't make sense. A human could not do these things, especially one such as Jaylin who didn't understand the workings of magic or of science either. Jaylin knew the sword, but of other types of fighting she had no knowledge.   
  
"She went left you know," a voice brought him from his musings and made him stand straight and still. He knew who was behind him, who had probably been behind him for a long time, watchful and silent.  
  
"Yes," he said not turning around. "She's doubling back for me." She had not left much of a trail, but it was sufficient for his demon enhanced eyesight. A broken twig here, a trampled blade of grass there, tiny signs that someone had passed through, and not long ago either.   
  
"You understand what you must do?"  
  
"Find her, and remove the device."  
  
"After that?"  
  
"Even if I asked, you would not tell me."  
  
"That's true, but it is getting rather complicated now isn't it?"  
  
"Did you have anything useful to say?"  
  
"Now really, Zelgadis. Would I come all the way out here to mention that your confused and vengeful love went left?"  
  
"I wouldn't know. You seem to show up for no apparent reason other than to torment me and manipulate her and in general make mischief. So say what you have to say and leave." The priest appeared directly in front of him, his staff clutched tightly in one hand and the ever present smile gone from his face. The abrupt change of attitude forced Zelgadis to pay attention, even though he knew that Jaylin was getting farther away with every moment.   
  
"There IS a reason, Zelgadis. I know what I'm doing. You don't need to just yet."  
  
"Very well then, priest. Tell me what you think I need to know."  
  
"The love you share with Jaylin right now is perfect. Sacred even. You've got to be careful with her. Do you understand?"  
  
"Not in the least."  
  
"Your love is pure, complete. Isn't it?"  
  
"I've always thought so."  
  
"You and her are two sides of a double blade, so you have to be careful not to cut her."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
  
"To make it easier for you. She is yours, but not in the way you want her to be."  
  
"Priest, you're bordering on madness. I am not understanding this at all."  
  
"That's because you aren't ready to accept what I'm telling you, but you have to. Go back to Lina, prepare yourselves for the fight, and leave Jaylin to me."  
  
"There's no way on this earth that I'll do that. She doesn't seem very fond of you." He laughed nervously, fingering his staff.  
  
"Yes, well, I think I can change that in the end." He took a step towards the chimera. "But you need to return to Lina. . . .and Amelia."  
  
"What does she have to do with anything?"  
  
"Now that. . ." the world around them blurred as Xellos placed a hand on Zelgadis' shoulder. It only spun for a moment, but when it stopped Zelgadis found himself standing right outside the shack that he had left hours ago. The hole where Jaylin had been thrown back by the fireball was directly beside him. "Is a secret." The words echoed around him and rippled outwards like drops of water falling into a pond. He had brought him right back to where he had begun, and from the position of the sun, it was noon.   
  
"Zelgadis!" Lina's voice, behind him, calling him to her. "You're back." He snarled a curse, crouching in an attempt to get control of himself. He'd have to start all over again, and now Xellos was going after Jaylin. His Jaylin. She was his, Xellos had said so, but what had he meant with all the other nonsense? "What are you doing?" What was he doing? Thinking, trying to puzzle things out, and throwing anything he could get his hands on at the poor abused shack. He stopped, but it was an effort. It was just so annoying. Now Xellos would be with Jaylin before him, and there was nothing he could do about it. The pure helplessness of that was almost crippling.   
  
"Zelgadis! What's wrong? Where's Jaylin?"  
  
"Gone! She's gone, damn him!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down. Who?"  
  
"Xellos. Banish him to the farthest corner of the abyss and may the lord of the Dark sew his smirking lips together! If I ever see him again. . ."  
  
"What part of calm down did you miss?" He punched his hand through the wall in order to prevent himself from doing Lina any harm. He'd never been so furious and frustrated in his life.   
  
"Zelgadis, stop." That was not Lina's voice. It was too soft, almost with Jaylin's musical tone. Jaylin. His muscles clenched, but he allowed the voice to lull him calm again. A gentle hand took his, examining it for injuries. "You're going to hurt yourself."  
  
"We're all going to get hurt, princess, it might as well start now." Amelia looked at him with her huge innocent eyes. Eyes that had never seen a murder, had never seen the darker aspects of life. Someone who still believed that justice and right would always win out in the end. Why couldn't everything happen that way?   
  
"Zelgadis, enough." Lina came to stand behind Amelia, placing her hands gently on the young girl's shoulders. "Unless you're offering an explanation." He flinched as Amelia sent a Healing spell through the cold stone of his fingers. Resisting the urge to grab his hand back, he turned his stare on the young princess. Xellos knew something about her too, but wasn't saying. He gave up, he didn't even want to think about it. He might end up throwing things again. "I'm waiting, Zel."  
  
"I went after Jaylin, but Xellos brought me back here and went after her himself."  
  
"But why?" He started up, jerking his hand away from the girl.   
  
"How am I supposed to know? It's a secret!" Amelia clutched onto his arm, attempting to restrain him.  
  
"He'll bring her back to us, Zelgadis-sama. I'm sure he will." He thrust his gaze to her, fury cut back at the very last moment.  
  
"That," the words came past gritted teeth. "is the point! He's out there with her, and I'm here and can do nothing about it!"  
  
"And since you can do nothing about it, there's no sense in getting all upset about it."  
  
"You're one to talk!"  
  
"Zel, Jaylin can survive a fireball, but I doubt you'll do as well. Now, calm down! Xellos will do as he likes, and while he's doing that, we're going to stay here and wait for him while discussing in a calm rational manner what we're going to do. Okay?" He opened his mouth for a protest, still feeling nothing but helplessness. Amelia pushed him inside the shack with the help of Lina, then they huddled together in a circle to go over their plans. But even as he listened, the only thing he could think of was Jaylin out there somewhere with Xellos right behind.   
  
"What did you find out, Zel?" Lina persisted, dragging him from what he was thinking about.  
  
"That the Rezo we saw is a definite copy. I don't know how Eris managed to do it, but she did."  
  
"Who is she anyway?"  
  
"What makes you think I would know?"  
  
"Well, I thought that since you worked with Rezo for so long. . .and you did mention that she was a disciple of his."  
  
"No, I've never seen her before. I just assumed that she was a disciple. Why else would she have access to his laboratory?"  
  
"Well, if neither of us know who she is, what reason does she have to put bounties on our heads?"  
  
"She's the one that did that?"  
  
"Well, yeah, isn't that what brought you here to begin with?"  
  
"Frankly, no. In fact, I'd completely forgotten about the bounty." Lina exchanged glances with Amelia and Gourry.  
  
"Wish we could say the same."  
  
"I would say she put the bounties on us to bring us to her, so she could kill us in person."  
  
"Vengeance for Rezo, the original one."  
  
"I would assume so."  
  
"Okay, so we know who she is, and we know that this Rezo is a copy."  
  
"But how much power can a copy have?"  
  
"All of the original's, including memories and experiences."  
  
"Do we stand a chance then?"  
  
"That's up to you, I think."  
  



	19. Trust

Chapter 19: Trust  
  
"Jaylin!" It was the voice of the priest. She remembered him, well, she knew that she didn't like him at least. She couldn't remember his name, she could barely remember her own name. The only thing she knew for certain was that her sword's name was Zel and that she mustn't lose it. But she'd already lost it, lost it to the chimera. It wasn't her own sword that rested against her thigh, but that of her enemy. But they were the same, the swords were identical. She knew that this held some significance, but whatever it was couldn't be puzzled out. "Come here, Jaylin." She watched the man from a tree branch, through the leaves. The last thing she wanted to do was obey his word, but she felt compelled to. His voice carried with it the snap of command, instead of the normal nasal quality he usually spoke in.   
  
Unwilling, but unable to prevent herself, she slipped down through the branches and leaves to kneel before him. "Ah, there you are."   
  
"You called me."   
  
"So I did. Stand up, I need to remove a piece of your jewelry." Again she was forced to listen. Every ounce of her self told her that she should be wary of this man, that he did not tell the whole truth, but the other self, the true self, told her that he should be trusted. "Hold very still, and then things will look better." A shiver ran through her when the priest took hold of her arm to make sure she didn't step back. His staff was tucked in the crook of his elbow as he used his other hand to carefully remove the cobalt stone.   
  
The staff slipped from his arm as Jaylin collapsed against him. He bit his lip as he gently lowered her to the forest floor, feeling nothing but pity for her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the orb of his staff flash brilliant scarlet.  
  
"Soon," he told it in a soft voice that no one had heard for a very long time. "She's not ready right now, and Zelgadis would never forgive me." Shifting slightly and causing Jaylin to moan, he stuffed the cobalt stone deep within the many pockets of his cloak. It would come in handy later.   
  
"You. . ." He looked down into the open starlit eyes of Zelgadis' charge, who was awake and staring at him curiously.  
  
"A moment, give yourself a moment and it will come back to you." He smiled at her gently as she considered him. The orb pulsed to gain his attention, but he ignored it.  
  
"She needs to know, Fire Lord," whispered the voice in his mind, but it only made him hold the slight girl in his arms tighter and close his eyes against what he was hearing.   
  
"She can't even remember her own name right now. Let them have what little happiness they can for just a little while longer."  
  
"It won't make it any easier." He snarled at the voice, commanding himself to focus instead on the struggling girl in his arms. She had fully come to her senses now, at least she remembered who he was. The orb light dimmed to a dull disappointed claret.  
  
"Xellos!" Jaylin hissed once Eris' control over her was broken. Her memory restored itself, as if someone had just struck a fire. She jumped from his arms, looking about herself, trying to get oriented again. There had been a brief moment before this that she remembered when Zel was there with her, but she couldn't be sure if that was her true memory or not. She would have asked, but she didn't feel like hearing about secrets at present. Xellos had hold of both her arms now, probably knowing how confused she was. He had saved her. The man she thought she hated had saved her, given her back her memory.   
  
"Here then," he started, pulling her down to the forest floor with him. "Before you yell at me again, let me explain?"  
  
"Xellos." He tightened his hold, as if expecting her to tear herself from his arms.   
  
"Now wait a moment Jaylin."  
  
"Thank you." Out of all the things she could have said, that was the statement he was least expecting.   
  
"Yes, well, you're welcome." A sudden thought occurred to her and she would have jumped to her feet had Xellos not prevented it.   
  
"Zel! Where is he?"  
  
"He's with Lina and very angry with me at the moment."  
  
"I didn't hurt him did I?"  
  
"No, he's fine. You've done nothing wrong."  
  
"I tried to hurt him." That's where the cut on her arm had come from, she was sure. He had been forced to. "Take us to him? Please?"  
  
"When the time is right. He needs to calm down a bit first."  
  
"What have you done to him?"  
  
"I prevented him from coming after you. I sent him back to where he started tracking you. He's afraid of what I'll do to you if he's not here to protect you." She saw a different side of the trickster priest then. He seemed almost human, prone to as many problems as she was and also just as confused. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that he seemed almost sad about something.   
  
"Are we going to survive this one, Xellos?" He smiled at her, but it lacked any of his previous mirth.   
  
"It's a secret," he muttered half heartedly.   
  
"I know." His fingers relaxed on her arms, allowing her to stand, but he stayed where he was.   
  
"Would you tell me something if I asked?"  
  
"If I can."  
  
"That girl, the one who did this to me, she's Mestronian isn't she?"  
  
"She was at one time, yes."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"The same thing that happened to your Zel, with a much more negative effect."  
  
"Berihn loved her once. I can't believe he allowed her to be sold again."  
  
"He didn't have much choice in the matter at the time. Rezo wanted the first returned slave. Unfortunately, it happened to be Eris. . .and not you."  
  
"Me? Why did Rezo want me?" Xellos smiled again.  
  
"That's the secret." She sighed, trying to put together the pieces that she did have. What did Rezo want with her? She wasn't that important.  
  
"Come, Jaylin, let us go back. They'll be waiting."  
  
The company had just lighted the fire for the coming of night when Xellos returned with Jaylin. Zel started up, half drawing Jaylin's sword as he did so, but she stopped him with an uplifted hand. She looked incredibly tired, and her forehead was still bruised from the stone. But despite all that, she seemed all right, and she had her memory back. . .again.   
  
"It's not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves, Zel," she told him, coming to stand between him and the priest. "We have enough problems, wouldn't you say?" He nodded, taking her hands and helping her sit down next to him. Xellos gave him a look that he couldn't figure out the meaning of before he also took a seat.  
  
"Jaylin," Lina began once everyone was focused on what they needed to discuss. "Xellos said that you could tell us why Berihn is here and why he's fighting with Gourry." Jaylin gave the priest a glance before shrugging.  
  
"Berihn is in love with Eris. He came with me to see her, but found her changed. If he's fighting with Gourry it would be her wish not his own. He doesn't even know Gourry."  
  
"I don't understand. What does she want with him?"  
  
"The sword of light," Zel answered finally coming to the right conclusion once he was given the final piece. "She wants to get the sword of light."  
  
"But why, Zel?" Lina questioned.  
  
"She wants to get into Rezo's secret laboratory." Lina's eyes glinted as he mentioned it.   
  
"Rezo had a secret laboratory?" She might as well start drooling.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Where? Where?" She scooted herself closer to the chimera, anxious to hear his answer.  
  
"Sairaag," he said, leaning away from her. He knew that he shouldn't have said a word about it, but he would need her help if they were going to get through this.   
  
"Really?" She became thoughtful, her finger tapping her chin lightly as she pondered that. "Then it's a good thing we're here isn't it? Do you have any idea how much power a guy that like would have in a secret laboratory?"  
  
"Of course, that's why he sealed it, so not just anyone could get to those secrets of his."  
  
"What does Eris want down there?" Amelia piped up, getting them back to the point. Zel shrugged.  
  
"She wants to be human again," Jaylin answered. "She wants to be with Berihn and love him the way she used to. The only way she can reverse the process of what Rezo did to her is to find the answer in the laboratory."  
  
"We can't let her get down there," Zel said, almost to himself. "The copy Rezo is going to be hard enough to deal with, but if he were to find Rezo's legacy down there; it would be the end for us."  
  
"Rezo's legacy?" Lina's eyes started glinting again. All wizards of the ability of Rezo always had some sort of legacy, or secret project that they were working on. Some were found finished after the death of the wizard, while others were worthless. "What is this legacy?"  
  
"I don't know, but he always hinted at it. Whatever it is, it's powerful enough that we can't let Eris or the copy get a hold of it, but we may be able to use it."  
  
"Really?" The fiery haired sorceress raised her eyebrow. She was enjoying that idea.  
  
"But Zelgadis-sama, if we go down there, wouldn't we just be leading Eris right to it?" Amelia had an interesting point.   
  
"Yes, it would be a race, and we would have to be careful."  
  
"Why do we need the legacy at all?" Gourry, silent until now, questioned. "Lina beat Rezo before. Why can't she just do what she did the last time?"  
  
"The Giga Slave?" Lina mused, turning that prospect over and reasoning out the pros and cons.   
  
"The what?" Amelia squeaked, shocked. "You did what, Lina-sama?"  
  
"It was a Giga Slave. I used a Giga Slave to kill Rezo, the original one, when he was possessed by Shabranigdo." Amelia's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open.   
  
"You used that spell!"  
  
"I was out of options at the time."  
  
"You mustn't ever use that spell again, Lina-sama," her voice turned deadly serious. "It's a terrible spell. If you were to lose control, you could reduce the world into a void of chaos."  
  
"Oh come on. It isn't that bad."  
  
"As a matter of fact," Xellos broke in. "It is that bad and worse. I don't know how you were able to control it before." Zelgadis knew. It was because Rezo had helped her control it. If it hadn't been for the Red Priest's will, that Giga Slave very well could have destroyed the world.   
  
"Basically," Gourry said. "We can just vote the Giga Slave out."  
  
"If it's all that bad, yeah, I would say so," Lina sounded a bit shocked. Probably thinking about how close she had come to destroying the world when she was trying to save it.   
  
"So we're going to have to go to Rezo's laboratory and let Lina invoke the legacy."  
  
"What if the legacy is useless?" Amelia had to be so logical. Zelgadis almost glared at her.   
  
"It won't be. If Rezo mentioned it to Eris as well as me then it must be finished and powerful, but we won't know how powerful until we find it."  
  
"All right then. First thing tomorrow morning we're off. That is if you know where you're going Zelgadis."  
  
"Of course.  
  
"Good night then." She unfolded herself, standing to leave the circle with Gourry following right behind. Amelia looked after them, then excused herself to another part of the shack. Zelgadis and Jaylin exchanged a glance, and Zel opened his arm to her. She smiled, shifting herself closer to him and allowing him to stroke her hair.  
  
"I'm sorry, Zel," she whispered, nuzzling her head on his chest.  
  
"Wasn't your fault." If he weren't made of stone, he would have kissed her. However, since things were the way they were he was content with having her this way.   
  
"I love you, Zel." He closed his eyes, forgetting everything that ever existed. There was no Rezo, there was no Lina, there was no Xellos. There was just himself, and her.  
  
"Jaylin!" Reality check. Xellos was there, and staring down at the both of them, looking very eerie in the firelight. "Come here." He felt her stir under his fingers, pushing herself up. What had the priest done to her when he wasn't there? She detested the trickster, didn't she? She stood, turning slightly to give Zel a look and a smile.  
  
"Yes Xellos?" Came the question in a conversational tone, not the hiss in which she had addressed him earlier.  
  
"You're coming with me." He put a gentle hand around the small girl's waist. She licked her lips and bowed her head obediently. Zel started to his feet.   
  
"Where are you taking her?"  
  
"Come now, Zelgadis. You know that it's a secret." His hands clenched, but Jaylin raised her hand.  
  
"It will be fine, Zel. I have to go." He sighed deeply. When did she do what he said anyway? What had he done to her in those forests? However, if she truly believed she had to go, then who was he to prevent her?  
  
"Priest, take care of her," he eventually muttered, forcing his hands to relax.  
  
"Don't worry, Zelgadis. If anyone lives through this, it will be your Jaylin. I'll make sure of that." They turned to leave, Jaylin giving him one last glance and a smile.  
  
"Xellos! One more thing." He beckoned the priest over to him and whispered low in his ear so that Jaylin could not hear. "If Eris were to get to the legacy first, could she use it in the way that she wants to?" Xellos gave him a sad smile and shook his head slightly.  
  
"No, Zelgadis. What you think you need is not to be found down there."  
  
"Then where?"  
  
"You may think otherwise, but the way you are now is the way that you must stay if you   
are to survive."  
  
"Why?" He laid a gray purple gloved finger against his lips and turned without saying the infuriating words. Jaylin stepped to him, ready for what he had for them to do.  
  
"We'll return at dawn," he said before both of them shimmered and disappeared. Once they had vanished from sight, Zel felt a deep sense of loss, as if he would never see her again. He shook his head at the thought, but somehow it kept returning to him. "She's yours, but not in the way that you want her to be." That was what Xellos had told him, but what did it mean? He couldn't lose her again.   
  
"Zelgadis-sama?" He sighed, not even bothering to look up from the fire.  
  
"Go to sleep, Amelia. Tomorrow promises to be an exhausting day."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Never you mind about me." She sat next to him, but he refused to look at her.  
  
"You don't sleep very well do you Zelgadis-sama?"  
  
"How would you know that?"  
  
"I know all about you Zelgadis-sama. Jaylin as well."  
  
"Oh really?" He wasn't really interested in what she was saying. He hoped she would just take a hint and leave him alone. There was something about her that he was not liking, probably since the priest had said her name in a certain way that made him uneasy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young girl nod her head vigorously, as if trying to ensure that she was telling him the truth.  
  
"Xellos revealed your lives to me." She curled up her knees to her chest, rocking slightly back and forth as children often do when they are not able to sit still.  
  
"Did he?" He stood, not wanting to be near her for some reason. There was nothing wrong with the young girl, but she unnerved him. He felt that she would take something from him, something very important. "Well, I'm sure that was an educational experience for you."   
  
"I know you've had a hard life, but that's going to change, Xellos said. I felt so bad for you and what you had to go through, but Xellos assured me that it will get better for you."  
  
"Amelia, look around, it's no better now than it was when I was young. In fact, it's gotten worse. He probably told you that so you wouldn't feel sorry, but it wasn't true." What had made the priest tell her that kind of a lie? How would he know if things were going to get better or not? For that matter, how did he know anything about Zel in the first place?  
  
"Well, he never said when, but it will happen." He snorted, not agreeing with what she was saying. So the trickster priest had shown her their lives, eh? Why had he done that, Zel wondered.   
  
"In any case, you'd better get some sleep."  
  
"He'll bring her back, you know."  
  
"I really don't want to discuss this with you."  
  
"Jaylin needs Xellos right now."  
  
"Amelia --"  
  
"He's going to help her find out what she really is." His hands clenched, and it was very difficult for him not to lose his control over his temper. He used to be so good at self control, but lately it seemed to be beyond him.   
  
"And what is that?" He hissed.  
  
"He didn't tell me, only that it's important that he help her, and you."  
  
"I don't need any of his help. Now, please Amelia, just go to sleep will you?"   
  
"Amelia," came a growl from the other side of the shack. Lina was sitting up, looking very eerie in the firelight. She glared at the young princess. "To bed with you. Now."   
  
"But. . .I have to. . ."  
  
"Leave Zel be for a bit all right? He doesn't need you antagonizing him with all your 'justice will prevail' and 'servants of justice shall triumph over all evil' routine. Skip the dramatics and stick to reality." Amelia literally wilted, but she obeyed without another word, rolling herself up in her cloak and giving one last disappointed sigh. Lina stood over her for a moment, her hands sternly set on her hips. Zel mouthed a word of thanks to her and she nodded.   
  
"I want to talk with you," she mouthed back, motioning with her hand for him to go outside. He repressed a sigh. She had bailed him out of one irritating conversation only to engage him in another. If only he knew where the priest had taken Jaylin, he would have gladly followed.  
  
"Do you truly have no idea what Rezo's legacy might be?" Was the very first thing out of her mouth as she stepped into the moonlight. Zel shrugged.   
  
"I could make a guess, but we'll never know for sure until we find it. It probably has something to do with a method of killing Shabranigdo, since he was going to resurrect him. He wasn't planning on him being reborn within his own body, so I guess he thought he could regain his sight and then kill him using his legacy."  
  
"Do you know how powerful it would have to be?"  
  
"I do not enjoy the thought of that much power as much as you do, I'm afraid."  
  
"Think what I could do with that."  
  
"I'd rather not." She gave him a quick glare, then changed the subject.   
  
"I heard Amelia saying something about Jaylin. Do you think Xellos knows what she is?"  
  
"I'm sure of it, but he won't tell me until he thinks I need to know. He probably hasn't even told her yet." He shook his head slightly, wishing he knew what the priest was up to.   
  
"I wonder. . ." she trailed off, absently twirling a scarlet lock of hair around her fingers. He raised an eyebrow as a prompt. "It was just something I heard a long time ago, but. . . "  
  
"But?" He wondered if it was truly worth it trying to pry information out of her like this.  
  
"Well, what I heard was about a different kind of human, still human of course, but their physical being was slightly altered somehow. They were called the E'lest. It was rumored that they could neutralize black magic if it was cast at them. There was a record of only one, and he lived over a thousand years ago now. He assisted in creating the Philosopher Stone, because his white magic was so strong."  
  
"I've never heard of this."  
  
"Yeah, well, I get around, I hear things. It was said that he then gave the Philosopher Stone to a priest to protect until it was needed for something important." Zel thought about it a moment, then shook his head.  
  
"Jaylin knows nothing of magic, black or white."  
  
"But she can neutralize a fireball."  
  
"What happened to the priest?" Lina shrugged, tossing her hair back in the same motion.  
  
"No one knows, he disappeared."  
  
"He seemed to leave the Stone unguarded if he allowed a bandit gang to steal it."   
  
"It was a rumor. I don't know all the details, but I just wondered if Jaylin could possibly --"  
  
"No, I don't think so."  
  
"You don't know that for sure though."  
  
"You don't even know that it's true."  
  
"All right, whatever, I'm going to sleep." She left him standing outside, watching in the dark for Jaylin to return. An E'lest? What sort of nonsense was that? Xellos might know, but if he asked would he be given a satisfactory answer? He shook his head. Lina was wrong on this one. Jaylin couldn't be one of those. But why not, Zel? Why would it be such a terrible thing if she was? It wouldn't, truly, but for some reason he couldn't place he knew that Lina was wrong. But since she was, what was Jaylin anyway?   
  
  
  



	20. The Secret of the E'raan

Chapter 20: The Secret of the E'raan  
  
"What is so important now, Xellos, if I may be so curious as to ask?" They were standing in a nondescript plain somewhere outside of the city. Xellos wasn't paying attention to her, merely staring at the positioning of the stars in the night sky. She could barely hear him as he muttered incoherently to himself. Whatever he was seeing up there in the sable quiet of night, it did not please him.   
  
"Not enough time," were the only words she caught as he paced past her.   
  
"Xellos?" He sighed, still not hearing her. She wondered if he had brought her so far only to witness him lose his mind. She heard a mumbled curse, and then he seemed to be asking someone unseen a question. Finally he shrugged, then nodded, turning to stare at her.   
  
"I'm going to tell you some things about yourself that you will find hard to accept," he began, his voice soft and serious. "What you hear from me tonight must be kept a secret from the others. I would not be telling even you, but things are going to go very wrong for us in this little adventure and I may not have another chance."  
  
"How do you know that they will go wrong?" His shoulders shook in a brief moment of silent laughter.   
  
"I know a good many things, Jaylin. Things that would turn your very basic concepts of the world upside down."  
  
"You can see the future."   
  
"Not exactly," he shook his head. "But I am not the one whom I brought you here to discuss. You are very special, Jaylin, predestined from before your birth to be involved in Armageddon." Her breath caught in her throat, and she found it hard to see. She was not a warrior, she was a slave.   
  
"You mean Eris . . .?"  
  
"No, worse."  
  
"What could be --"  
  
"It is a secret. A secret that has been kept from even myself. I do not know what will happen, only that you will be a major part of it. . . .as well as Zelgadis. But that is not what I needed to talk with you about either."  
  
"Zel. . ." Armageddon? All at once she found herself sitting down, her hands trembling. That was a war that should take place hundreds of years from now. Something that she would never have the chance to see, much less fight in.  
  
"Jaylin," she could hear him say her name, but she wasn't able to respond. She was destined to fight in Armageddon? The battle that would determine the fate of the world? Was she strong enough? "Jaylin." Xellos' hands shook her shoulders, bringing her focus back to the priest. "Let's not worry about that until it comes, all right? There's something that you need to be prepared for first."  
  
"All right," she stuttered, not wanting to hear what other shocking truths Xellos would tell her, but knowing that she had to listen.   
  
"Have you ever heard of an E'raan?" She shook her head.  
  
"Never."  
  
"That's not surprising as there has only been one in all recorded history. One thousand and twelve years ago, during the War of the Monster's Resurrection when Shabranigdo was first reborn, the first E'raan was created. Her name was Tariel and she was my best friend."  
  
"Your --" He held up his hand to silence her, shaking his head as well.  
  
"Please, no questions yet. Let me finish. We lived in the west, in the old city of Sairaag, only it wasn't Sairaag then, but Svestin. When Shabranigdo was reborn he went on a rampage of destruction. Tariel and I were among the few that survived. We fled into the northern mountains, and that is where we met him.  
  
"He told us that his name was Michael, and that he would help us. He began to teach me magic, and we stayed with him because we were afraid of returning to what might be left of our fair town.  
  
"One day a monster, under the command of Shabranigdo, found out our hiding place and tried to kill Tariel. I shall never forget her scream as she was engulfed in an inferno created by that creature. I could do nothing but stand and watch. It was Michael who killed the thing, and surprisingly, Tariel was still alive. Michael told me then that she was an E'raan, a human who could absorb magical power. If a spell was cast at her, she could neutralize it, but if it was cast through her it would be magnified. He then told me that I also had been born only to fight in the great last battle as well as Tariel. He said that there would be others and together we would stand for the four seasonal elements of the cardinal points."  
  
"What happened to Tariel?" Jaylin couldn't quell the urge to ask.   
  
"The E'raan's souls are transported into weapons and given to their Keepers. The relationship between the Keeper and the E'raan must be of perfect love and trust, or the power will not be available for them. An E'raan is born for every piece of Shabranigdo that is resurrected. After her initial encounter with the monster, Tariel's soul was embedded into the Philosopher Stone."  
  
"But the Philosopher Stone was destroyed!"  
  
"No, the Orihalcon Statue was destroyed. The statue had enough power to enable Rezo to resurrect the Monster Lord, but the true Philosopher Stone has always been with me." He held out his staff and the blood red orb seemed to pulsate in the darkness.  
  
"So you are a Keeper, and Tariel's soul is inside that orb?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Michael put her there?"  
  
"Yes, he conducted the ceremony necessary, and he was the one who explained everything to me."  
  
"Then what happened to him after you went out after Shabranigdo?"  
  
"He disappeared. After I had killed the resurrected piece of the Monster Lord, I went in search of him, but he had simply vanished. The last thing he told me was that I must find the next Keeper and E'raan, which, as it turns out, is Zelgadis and yourself."  
  
"But Shabranigdo was already reborn. Lina already killed him without any of my help."  
  
"That is true, it was Rezo who assisted Lina this last time, but you forget our current situation."  
  
"With the Rezo copy?"  
  
"Exactly. Think, my dear, where was Shabranigdo sealed?"  
  
"Inside of the eyes of. . .oh no, you're not saying."  
  
"I am."  
  
"So my soul must be . . ."  
  
"Not yet. The moon and stars must be in a certain position for the ceremony to work, and I have to prepare the E'lest for her task."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The E'lest is the one who performs the ritual. She must be strong in white magic, or the transition will fail."  
  
"Do you even know who it will be?"  
  
"Of course. I have set it up so that she would be mixed up with our company. We have all the elements necessary, but do you have the will?"  
  
"Do I have a choice?"  
  
"There is always a choice. But I warn you: if you remain in your current physical state you will not be able to survive. You have been caught in Shabranigdo's fire, and it still burns within you. You cannot control it, and eventually it will kill you if you remain human." So that was why she had lived. She was an E'raan. That is why Zelgadis' healing spells had never worked either. Her body had neutralized them, but it had absorbed the clash of Shabranigdo's and Zolf's black magic. She could still feel that inside of herself. That burning of power that Xellos said would kill her in the end. It made sense. Every word had been true, but she wasn't quite ready to accept it. She was a slave, only a worthless left handed slave. Now she was being told that she was a powerful magic amplifier.  
  
"What is Zel going to say?"  
  
"Zelgadis is not to be told anything, not until he is ready to hear it. Michael refused to tell me what had happened to Tariel until after the ceremony had been completed. It will be likewise for Zelgadis. He will not understand as you do."  
  
"My soul. . .will it. . .will I be. . .?" She couldn't quite come up with the right words for what she wanted to ask.  
  
"Your soul will still be alive, and you will share a deep bond with your Keeper. Your minds will be universal, and you will still be able to communicate with each other."  
  
"And when it's all over?"  
  
"That is a secret."  
  
"I see. How much time do I have to think this over?"  
  
"No more than two days."  
  
"I am afraid."  
  
"So am I." And in the starlight, Jaylin thought she could see the orb trembling as well.   
  
"Xellos. . .would you. . ."  
  
"Of course." He bowed to her, smiling gently before leaving her alone on the plain. "I'll be back before dawn," his voice echoed about her after his physical form had vanished. At first, all she did was stare, trying to gain some comfort from the stars, but they remained perfectly silent and cold. As the moon began its ascent she drew her sword. No, it was Zelgadis' sword, she remembered. They had been switched when she had been. . . .while she hadn't been herself.   
  
"First. . .third. . .lunge. . .dodge. . . parry," she muttered the familiar words over and over as she followed her own instructions, the moonlight casting shadows over the grasses. Faster. . .faster. . . .spin. . .you're slipping Jaylin. The sword is trembling, Jaylin, are your wrists so weak? Back to first. . .fourth. . .second. You're trembling, Jaylin, is your will so weak? No, I'm not weak, I can't allow myself to be. Zelgadis needs me to be strong for him. I can't let him see my doubt or he'll never let Xellos do what is necessary. It was logical. The entire situation made so much sense that it was shocking that she was having such a hard time dealing with it. The pieces had all fallen into place, yet the picture was not what she had expected. She had to go along with Xellos. He knew what action to take. She had to trust him. Though it would mean that she and Zel would never know of a life together. They would never have a home of their own. The simplest pleasures of love were to be denied them.   
  
"Why us?" She demanded of the stars as the sword twisted from her shaking grip and disappeared into the waving grass. There must be other couples that shared perfect love. Someone else, anyone else, who could take their places in this. Panting from her exercise with the sword, she sank down to the ground, her arms curled about herself in an attempt at comfort. "Why does it have to be us?" But the stars' only answer was to shimmer brightly upon her tears.  
  
"Tomorrow, Lord Rezo. You will lead me to the legacy tomorrow and then we can put everything behind us." Her hand trembled as she lit the candle in preparation for night. The copy of her master smiled faintly in the shadows of the sudden flare.  
  
"Yes," he whispered softly. "We will have the legacy and you will have your revenge." Eris knelt before him, kissing both of his palms. He would bring her the vengeance for her true master, and the means to regain her emotion. . .and Berihn.  
  
"Sleep well, Lord Rezo. I will return for you in the morning." The master of Mestronia paced by the door of the copy's chamber, waiting for her to come to him. They had much to discuss for the race that would come on the morrow. She favored her creation with one last smile before joining Berihn outside.  
  
"I'll be gone by then," the copy whispered once the door was closed. Calling upon the magic that had been instilled in him, the artificial Rezo was able to slip out of the mansion and begin his pursuit on the plains.  
  
"Jaylin!" The priest found her in the same position just before the sun rose that morning. She jumped to hear him call, but made no other response, forcing him to come to her. He sighed as he looked upon her, kneeling to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come Jaylin," he said softly. "I promised Zelgadis we would return before dawn." She shook her head.  
  
"I can't go back to him knowing what I know."  
  
"You can and you must. I would not have told you if I didn't know that you could keep the secret." She began to rock slightly back and forth, her arms wrapped tightly about herself.   
  
"It's going to hurt him so much."  
  
"I know, but there is no way to turn aside one's destiny. We must accept and move on."  
  
"Xellos. . .is there any way that Zel and I could. . .couldn't you find --"  
  
"I cannot find a substitute because there isn't one. You are the E'raan, the only E'raan there can ever be for this time, and Zelgadis is your Keeper." It was true, she knew it was true. Xellos had no more secrets. She sighed, looking carefully at the orb tucked in the crook of the priest's elbow. The longer she looked, the more certain she was that she could indeed see the life force trapped inside. But was it really trapped? She had never really noticed how carefully Xellos carried the staff. How he would peer deeply into it from time to time as if seeking the answers to the questions of the universe.   
  
"Do you miss her?"  
  
"How can I when she is always with me?"  
  
"She must be stronger than I to have accepted such a fate."  
  
"Tariel did what she did for vengeance on our town that Shabranigdo destroyed."  
  
"It was her choice?"  
  
"It has always been your choice Jaylin. I cannot force a soul into a stone unless I am allowed to do so." She sighed, still looking into the blood red orb pulsating with a dull glow in the darkness before the aurora. Tariel, the name of the angel of summer, who had given up her physical body to help save the world. Taking courage from the thought, Jaylin stood.  
  
"If she was willing. . .then I am willing."  
  
"Done then, but you have to keep this a secret from Zelgadis."   
  
"I do not want to hide this from him."  
  
"You have to. If he even suspects that I intend on taking you from him do you think our already shaky alliance will hold?"  
  
"Taking me from him? But you said --"  
  
"I said your minds will be universal, but your physical self will be gone. He's not going to like that at all."  
  
"I see." Nodding, Xellos pointed in the direction of a tiny stream that ran through the prairie and down to the city.  
  
"You may want to wash the tears from your face and the blood from your wrist before we return. Zelgadis would not be pleased with me if he knew that you have been weeping." She obeyed the suggestion, hurriedly rinsing away the past night's sorrow from her cheeks, but was unable to erase it from her eyes.   
  
As she was just standing the energy that she had absorbed weeks ago suddenly flared in an abrupt burst of pain in her chest. Crying out she dropped to her knees, confused and unprepared for what was happening.   
  
Without a word, Xellos was at her side, supporting her with gentle hands around her shoulders. "What's wrong?" She opened her mouth to respond, but her words were cut back in a gasp as Xellos was knocked aside by some unseen force. He grunted, releasing her and rolling with the blow. Shocked, Jaylin staggered to her feet, searching for what had attacked them.   
  
"Show yourself!" She commanded, unsheathing Zelgadis' sword. The hilt grew warm as the power within her body coursed down through her fingers into it, reacting of its own will against the unknown enemy. Xellos, a trickle of blood running down his cheek from the cut in his skull, stumbled next to her, leaning heavily on his staff for support. The orb pulsed to life with the frustration of the soul inside.  
  
"Careful, Jaylin," the priest cautioned as he glanced warily around. "Whoever we face shall not fall by a sword."  
  
"Eris?"  
  
"No, she would not have thought to shield her presence from me." Jaylin swallowed, trying to banish her fear, but to think of someone who was a match for Xellos' strength was a terrifying thing to ponder. Oily laughter echoed about them from all directions, but Jaylin finally zoned in on the source. Directly in front of them, both hands gripping a thick staff, was Rezo, his red robes unmistakable in the morning sunlight.   
  
"We both have a need for the same object, Fire Lord," the Red Priest smirked. Xellos stiffened slightly, giving Jaylin a sideways glance.   
  
"I doubt that she sees herself thus." Jaylin tightened her grip on the hilt, feeling the power gather in her hands without any help from her.   
  
"I'm not here for an argument in ethics. I've come for the E'raan."  
  
"I know, though you have no business with her."  
  
"On the contrary, she has a task that she must complete for me."  
  
"And you think she will be willing to cooperate?"  
  
"She has no choice in the matter." All through their talk, Jaylin stood in utter fury. Fury at Rezo for attacking them, and fury at Xellos for continuing to speak of her in third person.   
  
"The choice has always been mine," she stepped in front of the priest, brandishing her glowing sword. Her words carried a hint of bravery, but she was truly trembling in fear. The Red Priest smirked. . . .and opened his eyes. Jaylin gasped before she could stop herself, and Shabranigdo's fire flared within her. The outside world dimmed and blurred, set off focus by the sharpness of Rezo's supposedly blind eyes.   
  
Xellos shouted, grabbing her roughly and pulling her back. "This is not the time for confrontation," he yelled, standing between her and the unruffled enemy.   
  
"I'm not confronting," Rezo declared with his fluid calm voice. "I'm demanding." Planting his staff into the ground, Xellos cast a spell through it, sending a shot of white hot fire directly at the smirking priest of red. Rezo crossed his arms out in front of him, blocking the spell and ricocheting it back towards Xellos. Caught off guard, the Fire Lord had only enough time to shove Jaylin out of the path of his own spell and shimmer into another dimension. Panting in fear, Jaylin leaped to her feet only to realize that she was alone with Rezo with nothing but her sword. Xellos had left her. How could Rezo be a match for the man who had killed a resurrected part of Shabranigdo?  
  
"Meleyal, E'raan of southern soil," Rezo beckoned her toward him. She tried to resist, but the power stored inside of her body compelled her forward.  
  
"What do you wish of me?" She demanded with the last of her free will. He smiled, taking hold of her wrist and causing her to drop Zel's sword.  
  
"You're my key to power," he told her simply. The fire in her chest spread throughout her body, into her fingers and up through her skull. The world exploded in a blinding flash of searing white flame. She screamed out Zel's name just before she lost herself in blackness.  
  
  



	21. Race for the Legacy

Chapter 21: Race for the Legacy  
  
"Are you ready Zel?" Lina inquired as she donned her cloak and buckled her sword belt in place. He barely heard her as he watched the horizon for any sign of the priest.   
  
"Not yet."  
  
"If we don't get moving Eris will beat us there."  
  
"She can't. We've got the sword of light remember? And I'm not going anywhere without Jaylin." Lina snorted.  
  
"Who knows where she could be. Knowing that priest they won't be back until he's good and ready to return."  
  
"They'll be here shortly. He said sunrise." She shrugged, squinting to see if she could spot them against the sudden light.   
  
"Sunrise for him could mean a hundred of different things." Zel felt his hand clench, but it wasn't for Lina. It was because Lina was right. If he didn't need the knowledge that the priest possessed so badly, Xellos would have been dead a long time ago. Dust sifted from his fingers without him realizing.  
  
"Zel?" A hesitant hand on his arm brought him from his frustration. As soon as she saw that she had his attention, Lina stepped away, genuine fear in her scarlet eyes. "They'll catch up." He considered her blankly, seeing out of the corner of his eye Gourry and Amelia stumbling out into the early morning. "Hating him won't do us a bit of good." He gave her a half smile, watching her shudder at the coldness of it.   
  
"True enough," he muttered while staring at Amelia. "Though I still wish that you would order her to stay here." Lina glanced over her shoulder to see who Zel had changed the subject for. When she turned back, her eyes had gone stern.  
  
"She's a person, Zel, not a slave. I can't order her to do anything. Besides, she's just as strong in white magic as I am in black. We may have use of her."  
  
"A battlefield is no place for a princess."  
  
"What do you have against her anyway? It's not like she's been such a burden on you." The topic of the argument adjusted her attention from the well behind the shack where she had been washing her face to look at the pair as their voices rose.  
  
"Never ask me my reasons."  
  
"What's that all about? You sound just like Xellos." The demon third took over him completely, and his sword was out before he even noticed what was happening. Amelia gasped and took a step forward even as Lina took one back, her own blade at the ready.  
  
"Zelgadis! Lina! We must hurry!" The Mysterious Priest suddenly shimmered into sight between the two, breaking off their argument. For a moment Zel thought of attack, but when he saw the blood covering Xellos' face and how he hunched his shoulders, he thought better of it. Something had happened, and he wasn't going to like it at all. Clutching a hand to his head, Xellos sank to his knees, the other hand gripping the staff which glowed bright crimson.   
  
"Where's Jaylin?" Zel demanded immediately kneeling before the priest and taking hold of his shoulders. The cleric raised his eyes to look at the chimera.  
  
"Taken," he stuttered, losing all of the cool confidence he had always seemed to possess. "She's been taken. That's why we must hurry."  
  
"Taken by whom?" Lina asked intently before Zelgadis had the chance.   
  
"The copy Rezo." He struggled to his feet with the help of Zelgadis and the staff.   
  
"Where? What use has he for her?" Zel had to shake the priest and repeat the question before he was ready to answer. Even then it wasn't what Zel expected.   
  
"We have no time. They'll already be there by the time we reach them. The Towerwest, hurry! He's going to use her to break into the Towerwest since he can't do it himself as he's not gained his full power yet. You've got to hurry or he'll reach the legacy first and we'll all be doomed!" Although Zel was confused on how Jaylin would enable the Red Priest to gain access to the laboratory, the urgency in Xellos' voice told him that it didn't really matter much.  
  
"What about you?" Amelia questioned.  
  
"Never mind about me. I'm no use to anyone right now. I shall catch up to you when I can. Just go, quickly! And Zelgadis?" The chimera stopped short and turned back to give the priest his attention. "I'm sorry." He grunted at the apology.  
  
"She had better be alive when I find her, Priest. That's all I have to say." Exchanging a look with Lina, he began to run. They all ran, holding scabbards out of the way and each praying that they would reach the Towerwest in time.  
  
"Lord Rezo," Eris cried running up to him as he appeared at Towerwest carrying an unconscious Meleyal in his arms. When she had found him missing, she had panicked, but Berihn had convinced her that he would be fine on his own and would return shortly. They had decided to carry on with the plan of following Zelgadis and his company into the sealed laboratory so they were waiting by the entrance for them to come.   
  
"Eris," Rezo said in a voice that carried the tone of importance. "We must hurry. The Fire Lord knows what we plan and will try to stop us. Come if you wish your vengeance."  
  
"But Lord Rezo, we cannot get in without the sword of light." With a smirk the copy Rezo shook Meleyal awake roughly, keeping a hand on her shoulder so she couldn't run away. She gazed about herself in confusion first followed by fear and rage.   
  
"She shall remedy that. Follow me." Pushing the slave before him, he led the way into the Towerwest where the sealed double doors had lain untouched for years. Berihn and Eris followed slowly, Mestronia's master keeping a hand on his hilt and the other around his former slave.   
  
"Your creation has lost his mind, I believe," he whispered to her as they stepped into the cool darkness of the building.   
  
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "He knows what he is about. It is for us not to question his ways." Rezo placed Meleyal before the doors, keeping one hand gripped at her shoulder, he put the other on her back. Berihn and Eris watched in wonder as he whispered the words of a spell. His hand began to glow blood red and Meleyal stiffened, her eyes rolling back in her head and her mouth opening in a silent scream.   
  
"E'raan of southern soil, I call the power of autumn's hand. Combine your destroying force with me so our magics together will stand," he muttered a few more words after this, but Eris did not hear them as she was still trying to figure out the first spell. Blinding light shot forth from Rezo's fingers, right through Meleyal and splashed against the stone of the doors. A loud grating sound filled the room as the rock parted revealing a staircase. Satisfied, Rezo removed his hand from Meleyal and she crumpled to the floor in a swoon. With a smirk, the Red Priest stepped over the unconscious girl and down the stairs with Eris following quickly after carrying a flickering lantern.   
  
Berihn, however, knelt at Meleyal's side, cradling her head in the crook of his arm and looking at her pain worn face. Her body convulsed with the aftermath of the spell that had been sent through her, almost making him weep to see it. Her eyes opened when he brushed her hair away from her face, gazing up at him curiously.  
  
"Master," she murmured in a trembling voice.   
  
"I'm so sorry, Meleyal," he whispered. "I had no idea it would turn out so badly for us."  
  
"Berihn," Eris' voice called up at him from the tunnel. "Are you coming?" He looked down at her for a moment, licking his lips, then gazed again at Meleyal.  
  
"No," he decided. "I will guard the entrance against our enemies."  
  
"Very well then." The light of the lantern bobbed down and farther down until he lost sight of it completely. He bit his lip against the tears that stung his eyes, but he was unable to quell the feeling that he had lost her forever.   
  
"Is your master coming?" He dragged himself from his dismal thoughts to the present situation.   
  
"I don't know," Meleyal stuttered, trying to keep her eyes focused. "You. .don't mean to . . .fight him. . .do you?"  
  
"No," he shook his head. "I just pray that he will accept my help after all I've done."  
  
"Help? But. ."  
  
"I've been foolish, Meleyal. I've been blinded by a love that was not returned, but I truly had no idea I was fighting for the wrong cause."  
  
"It was not your fault. She has been fooled as well."  
  
"What do you mean?" Her body tensed and she curled into a ball of pain, unable to answer. At the same time, a grating sound echoed throughout the entrance chamber. Lifting Meleyal, Berihn stood to consider the stairway, which was closing once again. Of course Rezo, the original one, would have put a spell on it to seal it back up again once it had been opened. Once the doors had closed again, Meleyal whispered:  
  
"You're too late." He took her outside into the warm summer morning to question her again what she meant by her strange words.   
  
"You cannot save her now," she stuttered, her eyes closing. "Eris may have created him, but it is Rezo who is in control here." Shocked, Berihn gave one last glance inside the Towerwest, then allowed himself to weep.  
  
"There!" Lina shouted, pointing ahead as the tower came into view. Before they reached their destination, they slowed to a wary walk, searching about themselves for any traps that the copy Rezo might have set for them.   
  
"It doesn't look like they've even been here yet," Amelia pointed out the double doors, apparently still sealed up tightly.  
  
"So it would seem," Lina agreed, staring up at the ceiling and into the shadows of the entry.  
  
"You're wrong," came a voice from behind them. Zelgadis pivoted quickly, Jaylin's sword already in his hand. Berihn stood in the doorway, his hands raised defensively. It was Berihn, but he seemed to have aged much in the short time since Zelgadis had seen him last. His hair was streaked with gray, his face becoming wrinkled and care worn, and his eyes were red as if he had been crying.   
  
"What do you know of it?" Zelgadis growled, stepping forward menacingly even as Berihn stepped back.  
  
"Peace!" he cried. "You have every cause to doubt me, but I tell the truth when I say I want no part of Eris or her dark lord either."  
  
"Where are they? Why did they leave you behind? Answer me quick now, or lose your power of speech altogether." He had the Plainsman backed into a wall now. The chimera's eyes raged as he restrained himself from doing him any harm.   
  
"Zel! Be easy," Lina snapped, but didn't get in his way.  
  
"They've gone into the laboratory. We must hurry if we are to catch them."  
  
"Where's Jaylin?" Confusion flashed across Berihn's eyes. "My slave! The one you yourself gave to me." He was on the verge of a threat that he had every intention of carrying out when Mestronia's master finally found his voice again.  
  
"Meleyal lies there." With a shaking hand, he gestured toward the shadows under the stairway that led to the upper chambers of the Towerwest. "It was Rezo's doing," he added as if afraid of what Zel would do to him when he saw her condition.   
  
Growling, the chimera left Berihn against the wall to see exactly why Jaylin was under the staircase. He found her curled into a ball, seemingly asleep and trembling slightly.  
  
"Jaylin," he brushed a stone finger along her cheek gently to wake her. "What's happened?" Her eyes opened and she stared at him without recognition for a moment, fingering the bruise in her forehead. "Are you injured?"  
  
"No." She pushed herself into a sitting position, but Zel noticed that she seemed much weaker than when she had left him the night before.   
  
"What was done to you?" She looked as though she wanted to tell him, badly in fact, but she only bit her lip and shook her head. "What was done?" He demanded again, this time over his shoulder to Berihn.  
  
"I'm not sure, lord," he replied, taking a step forward. If Zel noticed the appellation that implied Berihn's wish for Zel to become his master, there was no indication. "It seemed that Rezo sent a spell of some kind through her body to open the doors." Zel's brow furrowed in confusion. Why would he need to do such a thing? Perhaps he had used Jaylin's life force as an amplifier? It didn't seem a very plausible explanation as it had never been tested before. And why use Jaylin? Why not someone else? Eris herself even? Or Berihn? Xellos knew, he had as good as said it when he had warned them to hurry, but Zel couldn't sort it out.   
  
"Why her?" He asked out loud, though he received no answer. "What does everyone want with you?" Cupping her face, he stood to find the reasons for everything.   
  
"Amelia," he called the young girl to him. She jumped to his side without a word. "I want you to stay with Jaylin and keep her safe."  
  
"Zel, I'm going with you," Jaylin protested, getting shakily to her feet.   
  
"You'll be of no use to us the way you are now," he argued coldly and regretted it as soon as he saw her shocked and hurt expression. "Besides," he added a bit more gently. "I would feel much better if you would stay where it is safe this time." Amelia slipped next to the silver haired slave girl, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I'll keep her safe, Zelgadis-sama," she promised, giving her charge a slight smile. Pouting, Jaylin dropped her head in obedience. Zel nodded and turned to the others waiting patiently behind him.  
  
"As for you," he pointed at Berihn, who hovered close to the door. "You're coming with us. Perhaps Eris still feels enough for you to ransom your life in return for the legacy should it come to that."  
  
"I'll be of no use to you in that sense, for she feels nothing for me. Rather, let me fight with you." Zel snorted, gesturing for Gourry to unsheathe the sword of light. Lina glared at him, but he paid her no attention.  
  
"Please, lord," Berihn begged. "All I've done has been for love, though it was all a mistake. Surely, you of all people should understand what it is like to suffer for love. Let me fight for you and in that way avenge for what has been done to her as well as atone for   
what I have done to you."  
  
"Do as you like. I shall do nothing to prevent you."  
  
"I ask for nothing more than that." Nodding, Zel looked to Gourry, who stood poised and ready to strike the doors.   
  
"Come, they know where they are going where we do not. We've already lost too much time." With a great cry, the blonde swordsman slashed at the seal covering the doors and it shattered with a loud grating sound. A dark staircase was revealed, opening all of Rezo's secrets. Calling a ball of light to rest upon her palm, Lina took Gourry by the elbow and together they made their way down the stone steps. Berihn glanced uneasily at Zel before ducking after them.   
  
"Zelgadis," the call stopped him before he joined his companions. Jaylin held her hand out to him in farewell. "Be careful. He's more powerful than the original Rezo ever was."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll be on guard." With a final wave and look to Amelia he hurried down to meet with the others. Above him the double doors slid closed once more, and the only light was that of the tiny ball floating above Lina's trembling palm. She looked at him, fear dancing in the crimson of her eyes.   
  
"Do you think that's true?" She demanded, glancing off into the darkness and then at the doors above them.   
  
"That what is true?"  
  
"This Rezo is more powerful than the other."  
  
"Let's pray that it isn't." Summoning his own flare, he led the procession into the labyrinth of stone that contained the extent of Rezo's knowledge, wondering if he would ever find his way out to the sun again.  
  
  
  



	22. The Demon Falcon

Chapter 22: The Demon Falcon  
  
Amelia bade her charge to sit down and rest herself while she took up vigil. What she was guarding against she had no clue, but it was important to Zelgadis-sama that the slave girl be kept safe. She didn't really know Jaylin, had never held a conversation with her, so it was quite awkward to be left alone with the stranger. However, neither herself nor the silver haired girl were in much of a mood for talking, so their words were brief.  
  
"Forgive me," Jaylin said as she settled herself slowly onto the stone of the floor. "But I do not remember you."  
  
"I guess you wouldn't. I came with Lina as her servant. I am Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun." The slave girl chuckled at the introduction.  
  
"How would a princess become servant to a sorceress?"  
  
"Because I also am a sorceress. I follow her in order to learn more of her power." Jaylin nodded in understanding. "What about you?"  
  
"I am Meleyal of Mestronia, known to you only as Jaylin."  
  
"You belong to Zelgadis-sama then?"  
  
"In more than one sense of the word, yes." Amelia would have asked more, but a call came from without the building. Someone was coming. Jaylin twisted upright, fumbling at her sword belt for a weapon that wasn't there while Amelia leaped to her feet, gathering a spell in her hands. The shout came again, and both girls tensed in preparation of combat. . .until they saw who had come.   
  
Xellos entered the chamber, leaning heavily on his staff which flashed an angry scarlet. Jaylin tottered to him with unsteady step, taking hold of his shoulders. A streak of dried blood ran down one side of his face, and his mouth was set in grim determination. He looked at her for a moment, analyzing her condition, before taking her into his arms, holding her close.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Jaylin. Such a thing was not foreseen. It shouldn't have happened."   
  
"It's all right," she soothed, listening to his heart beat. "Zelgadis shall make it right."  
  
"Let's pray that he will. Come, you need to rest until your body adapts to the amount of power that has been sent through it. You're trembling so hard, I'm half frightened that there was permanent damage." Muttering to himself, he slipped an arm about her waist and led her back to the cool shadows of the stairway. With his free hand, he motioned Amelia to sit across from him. She obeyed with an expression of confusion on her petite face as Jaylin curled up against the priest, her head pillowed on his lap. He stroked her hair soothingly, and her eyes closed in sleep.  
  
"It is good that I did not have to chase you through the underground maze," he began, smiling his usual sarcastic grin. "As it turns out we have been presented with the perfect opportunity for you to learn your part in this."  
  
"My part, your Holiness?" She pushed an ebony lock of her short hair behind her ear before folding her hands once again in her lap. "I am not strong enough to have anything to do with this."  
  
"Yet you are here. How do you suppose that came to be?" The princess shrugged.  
  
"I am Lina's servant. I am where ever she is." Xellos raised a finger.  
  
"Exactly, but why did you become a servant when it is your right to rule?"   
  
"I don't know. I just felt as though I should follow her. That she would lead me to where I needed to be." Xellos nodded in approval.  
  
"Yes, you have it perfectly correct. You are where you will be needed and it is my job to tell you of your task."  
  
"I am ever a ready student, your Holiness."   
  
"Do you see this girl?" He jerked his chin toward the sleeping Jaylin snuggled at his side. Amelia nodded, waiting for the rest. "She is very important to the salvation of this planet. Not now, and not for a very long time, but someday she will play a major role of protecting our posterity from dark forces that shall come. She is a talisman, her body itself is a magic amplifier, but I'm sure you have realized that she cannot remain mortal if she is to live long enough to perform her task."  
  
"Naturally not."  
  
"That is where you come in. When the moon rises tomorrow night we will need to conduct a ritual. On that night a soul may be called back before it escapes to join with the Children of the Sky. You must learn the spell that will encase Jaylin's soul into a precious stone talisman so that she may be a source of power for the warrior of Earth."  
  
"A talisman?"  
  
"More specifically, the silver stone imbedded in the pommel of Zelgadis' sword. You will need to take that from him before you begin the spell."  
  
"Forgive me, your Holiness, for seeming witless but I do not understand why I would need to call Jaylin's soul into a stone. And why Zelgadis-sama's sword?"  
  
"It would take too long to explain it all to you, Princess. Let us just say that at the great last battle of the world there will be four warriors sent forth, each drawing power from the soul of a true love, for love is the strongest force on earth. Zelgadis is one of those warriors, the Warrior of Southern Soil, and he will receive his immortality and strength through Jaylin's soul."  
  
"We will have to kill her to perform such a rite." Xellos winced slightly, giving the sleeping slave girl a weary and sorrowful glance.   
  
"Such technicalities have ways of taking care of themselves," he muttered, placing his other hand on the orb of his staff.   
  
"You're a warrior too, aren't you?" Amelia cocked her head to the side, studying him closely. He nodded.  
  
"I am. The Warrior of Western Fire, or put more simply, the Fire Lord." Amelia's lips moved as she silently recited a snatch of poetry to herself that she had heard in bedtime tales when she was very young.  
  
"The Lord of Fire," she said at last. "Then the story was real."  
  
"Quite so, though no one remembers its truth anymore."  
  
"What must I do?"  
  
"There is an incantation. I will give you the words, and you must say them back to me verbatim. Nothing can go wrong. Zelgadis will be able to call her soul back, and he will be able to hold her while you chant, but it cannot be done forever. Sureness and speed will be required."  
  
"I understand. Recite me the spell."  
  
"How far ahead can they be?" Lina muttered as they turned into another corridor.   
  
"We might not even be following the correct passage, Lina. Besides, I know that I am not so eager at catching them right now," Zelgadis lectured as he knelt to consider the thick layers of dust covering the floor. There were no traces of footprints, or any other kind of marking to suggest that the Red Priest had passed by. That could mean that they were going the wrong way, or just a longer way, but at least it meant that they were not traveling in circles. Although Rezo had been blind, he had constructed an incredible laboratory filled with dead ends and never ending circles of stone.   
  
"If I were Rezo," Gourry muttered, peering off uselessly into the darkness of what seemed another passageway. "Where would I keep my most secret legacy?" Zelgadis considered the swordsman a moment, even as Lina raised her arm to slap him into silence.   
  
"Don't be stupid, Gourry," she said the words as if she told him not to be stupid at least twice a day. "Anything that powerful would naturally be kept. . ."  
  
"In the deepest chamber," Zel finished, standing.   
  
"Why's that?" For a man as skilled in the sword as Gourry was, he did not know very much about anything else.   
  
"Because," Lina began as Zel and Berihn began jogging off in search of a staircase. "When sorcerers are testing their experiments they do it far underground so if it turns out badly none of the surrounding area will be damaged."  
  
"Well," Berihn called back to the pair. "There's a staircase here."  
  
"Unfortunately," Zel said from somewhere else. "There is also one over here."  
  
"We could split up."  
  
"Think about that for a moment, Lina. Even if one of us were to find the legacy, we'd never find each other again."  
  
"All right Zel, then which staircase do you suggest we take?"  
  
"Neither." Lina massaged her temples in a weary gesture.  
  
"I really hate it when you get cryptic on me, Zel."  
  
"This is Rezo we're talking about here. You think he would waste time by walking down three dozen stairways? There's probably an easier way."  
  
"Probably? It might be safer with the stairs, at least then we'd know what we were looking for."  
  
"I haven't the time to debate this with you."  
  
"All right! We'll do it your way this time. Supposing there is another way to the deepest chamber, how would we know it if we found it?"   
  
"Well, when it comes to that, how would we know if we really found Rezo's legacy or not?"   
  
"Point," she arched an eyebrow. "So where do we go?" Zel raised a finger to his chin, considering. Somewhere in the darkness, not very far off, the sound of a door creaking shut echoed down the stone to where the company stood. The chimera smiled in triumph.  
  
"I suggest we follow that," he smirked, pointing into the direction from where the sound had come. Lina tossed her red hair over her shoulder with one hand.  
  
"Whatever. Let's go already." Their footsteps pounded out a rhythm on the dusty stone floors as they made their way through the labyrinth, balls of light sent forward to show them where they were going. The passageway made several curves, and twice before they reached the door Zel wondered if it were circling back on itself.   
  
However, the massive entrance appeared before them so quickly Lina almost ran straight into it. Berihn and Gourry exchanged uneasy glances, fingering their sword hilts, before Lina grabbed the handle and began tugging.  
  
"You shan't get in that way," snickered a soft, taunting voice. Zel sent another flare of light upward to reveal the entire hall, trying to see what was off in the shadows. Berihn unsheathed his sword, standing at the ready in case whatever was there should attack. The thing cringed back from the sudden brightness, allowing itself to be inspected.   
  
"A falcon?" Gourry questioned, coming forward slightly. "That talks?"  
  
It appeared to be a falcon, but it was larger than usual. It's blazing yellow eyes carried a certain amount of intelligence, and it could indeed speak.   
  
"A creation of Rezo," Zel corrected. "The man had a certain fondness for demons, but that comes with the power he had over the witless species." The bird screeched at Zel.  
  
"Witless? It is yourselves that you should be speaking about. Trying to lose yourselves in this maze. Running around searching for a rumor, aren't you?"  
  
"And just what are you doing down here?" Zel brandished his sword at the raptor. "Did the Red Priest have no more use for you? Abandoned you here where you'll never see daylight again?" The sleek gray feathers ruffled at the words.  
  
"Do you two know each other?" Lina broke in, wondering if they could use the bird-like chimera to locate the legacy.  
  
"It's just Teba," Zel snorted, lowering his blade. "And before you mention anything; we'll not be receiving any help from him."  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"A mistake. Rezo created him to help seek the Philosopher Stone. He gave a demon wings so it could fly to all the lands."  
  
"And what happened?"  
  
"Teba became too arrogant so Rezo took his power and I guess he banished him down here. Dilgear took his place."  
  
"How long has he been down here?" Zel shrugged.  
  
"I wouldn't know. It doesn't really matter." Lina grabbed his arm.  
  
"He could lead us to the legacy."  
  
"Why would he do that? There is no way you're going to get him to help us, Lina."  
  
"You're looking for Lord Rezo's legacy?" Teba asked, taking wing to hover at eye level with them.  
  
"It doesn't concern you."  
  
"But I know where it is." Zel was immediately wary. He didn't trust the falcon at all. He knew him too well, but Lina was ready to take any opportunity at accessing Rezo's power.   
  
"Can you take us there?" The sorceress asked, her eyes growing wide at the idea. "And quickly?"  
  
"And betray Lord Rezo?"   
  
"If you didn't mean to betray him you wouldn't have offered any information," Zel pointed out, passing a hand before his eyes and wondering why they were wasting so much time with the outcast demon. There was a reason that Teba wanted to get to the legacy, and it wasn't simply to be helpful either.   
  
"What do you want with it anyway?" The falcon ignored Zel completely, perching himself gently on the shoulderguard of Lina's cape.   
  
"Does it matter?" Teba pulled up his wings in a bird imitation of a shrug.   
  
"If you had been down here alone as long as I have everything seems interesting."  
  
"So, will you take us to the legacy?"  
  
"For you, kind and beautiful sorceress, I'll gladly lead you anywhere you think you need to go."  
  
"I wouldn't let him lead us through that door, unless you'd like to take a shortcut through the abyss. We can't trust him, Lina." The falcon pierced him with a fiery gaze while nuzzling his head against the girl's hair.   
  
"Personally Zel, I think we should let him take us. It would be a fair bit better than to stumble around in the dark like we've been doing. Or are you just too proud to admit that you can't find what we need without some help?" The chimera growled, reminding himself that once this was over he would never have to talk to Lina Inverse again. -- But then again -- he thought. -- I had that thought before when we defeated Shabranigdo --   
  
"Fine," he relented for the sake of time and time only. "But if you double cross us I will rip out all your feathers, put your worthless carcass on a pike, and leave you for the carrion eaters. Though they'll undoubtedly have more honor than to even come near you, let alone touch you." Teba gave another piercing raptorial cry before launching himself from his perch.  
  
"No need to worry yourselves about that," he squawked, turning his head slightly to see if they were following. "I'll lead you to the deepest chamber, and we'll even take the fastest route."  
  
"See Zel?" Lina whispered as they jogged after the retreating form of the falcon-demon. "He's really not so bad, is he?" The chimera snorted. "You really shouldn't be so mean to people."  
  
"He's not a person; he's a demon. And he's not helping us just because you're so beautiful and kind. Trust me on that!" Lina raised her arm for a punch, then thought better of slamming her fist into his stone body.  
  
"If he was such a terrible untrustworthy creature why didn't Rezo just kill him? Why did he leave him down here?"  
  
"I don't know the answer to that, but I'm sure there was a reason."  
  
"Well, if it gets us to Rezo's legacy, I really don't care who leads the way." She pulled ahead, getting closer to Teba while Berihn and Gourry stayed close to Zel.  
  
"Be on guard," Zel cautioned them. "Just because she's been taken in by that thing doesn't mean that you two have to lose your sense with her. That bird is up to something."  
  
"Understood, lord," Berihn muttered, and it made Zel realize that he trusted the slavemaster more than he trusted just about anyone at that point. He then found it even more odd that all his plans for revenge ended up so strangely. He shrugged it off and focused on the stone ahead of him, ready for where ever Teba decided to take them.  
  
  
  



	23. Invocation, the Resurrection of the Demo...

Chapter 23: Invocation, the Resurrection of Demon Beast   
  
  
"What is taking them so long?" Amelia complained as she paced back and forth in the entry chamber. Xellos watched her patiently, saying nothing. "You don't think they've gotten into trouble do you? What if they need my help?"  
  
"Princess," he reminded her from his position. "Rezo's laboratory is a vast labyrinth. They are probably down there trying to figure out which direction to take, and I'm sure Zelgadis will be able to keep them from getting completely lost."  
  
"But Eris and that copy are down there too."  
  
"That is true."  
  
"Well you don't seem very concerned about it." Xellos smirked.   
  
"What must happen will happen whether I am concerned about it or not, and I advise you to adopt the same attitude or you will slowly drive yourself mad with worry." Amelia bit her lip, but she did at least stop pacing.   
  
"Couldn't we go to them, Xellos?" Jaylin asked quietly. She had awakened just after Amelia had completely learned the incantation needed for joining the E'raan's soul to the physical talisman, and was now sitting cross legged, her back against the wall, idly twirling a strand of her silver blue hair around her finger.   
  
"No," he shook his head. "I'm afraid they must do this one on their own. Besides, I don't want you to be in any more confrontations with that monster. You aren't ready to fight yet." She sighed softly, but made no argument. Xellos reached out to place a comforting hand on her arm.  
  
"Believe me, Jaylin," he assured her. "Zelgadis will come back to you, and he will come back alive." She nodded, staring off at nothing.  
  
"I just wish," she whispered. "I wish that . . ."  
  
"None of this would have happened," Xellos finished. "Yes, I understand."  
  
"Xellos?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"When does it stop hurting?"  
  
"As soon as you learn to accept." She nodded again, biting her lip to keep it from trembling. Xellos' orb gleamed a sympathetic scarlet, and the mysterious priest put his arms around the E'raan's shaking shoulders, allowing her to find what comfort she could in his embrace.   
  
Teba came to a stop in the exact center of a large room. They had taken so many different routes, Zelgadis had given up trying to memorize them all. Where ever they were, they were at the mercy of the falcon, and Zel didn't like it one bit. The room where they were presently in was indeed huge, but empty. There were three doors inside that led to different places of the lab, and one chandelier hung at the top of the domed ceiling. What Rezo would have used it for was beyond the chimera.   
  
"Is this the deepest chamber?" Gourry asked from behind Lina. As they had gone along, he had gotten closer to the sorceress, ready to protect her should anything unexpected happen.   
  
"Of course not," Zel growled. "There's nothing here."  
  
"Nothing, O Wise One?" Teba asked in a mocking tone. "For one who knows so much, you see very little." Zel clenched his hand, wondering why the bird reminded him so much of Xellos. With one strike of demon speed, he grabbed the falcon's legs and held him upside down. Teba shrieked and flapped his wings, but Zel held tight.  
  
"As we speak Rezo and Eris are seeking out the legacy. If they should find it before us then we are all going to be in very serious trouble, yourself included. I grow weary of your arrogance and I grow weary of you wasting our valuable time. Now enough with the riddles and insults and take us where we need to go!"  
  
"Put me down! I can't take you anywhere dangling like this." Lina took hold of Zel's arm, glaring at him all the while he set the creature back on its feet. She was angry with him, but he didn't really care.   
  
"Everyone stand within the confines of the circle," Teba ordered, shaking his feathers into order and cocking his head with an air of importance. Zel looked down at the floor, and indeed there was a fantastic mosaic there in the shape of a magic circle. He had missed it when he first entered. If the falcon was being honest with them, it would prove to be some sort of transit device.   
  
"Come here, bird," Zel commanded as they all crowded onto the mosaic. "If you've led us into a trap, I'd like to make certain that you were trapped along with us." Teba shot him a wicked glare, but Berihn and Gourry were on either side of him so he had no choice but to obey. "Now, tell us how this little decoration works."  
  
"There is a raised stone in the exact center. Step on that and we will be transported to the deepest chamber." Zel did as commanded and immediately the circle began to radiate with the red light of magic. His fingers tightened around the falcon as the light engulfed them, not wanting him to escape should he be leading them somewhere other than where he said. The light increased, and he found himself temporarily blinded.  
  
"Lord Rezo," Eris questioned as they traveled together through the underground passageways of the labyrinth. "Teba will lead them right to the legacy."  
  
"As planned." That gave her pause. She stopped dead to consider what he meant by that. Why would he allow the falcon demon to take them to the deepest chamber?  
  
"But Lord Rezo, they'll be there before us. They'll find the tablet before we even get there."  
  
"Again, as planned."  
  
"But should they invoke it. .."  
  
"No one but you can make it work. I made sure of that when I created you." His words made her shudder. It was not him who had created her, but the other Rezo. Perhaps he had forgotten that it was she who made him and not the other way around.   
  
"If that is true, then why did you bother leading them there at all?"  
  
"Because having them wander about this maze, lost for the rest of their lives, would be a boring vengeance for me. I would much rather see the despair on their faces when you release my power." The copy chuckled at the idea, moving slowly and surely through the darkened passageways to where the deepest chamber lay. Eris hesitated a moment before jogging up to join him, her fingers reaching to clasp his. He jerked away from her touch, making her realize that he was not what she had thought he would turn out to be. She would have left then and there, but it was Rezo who knew the way out, and only Rezo.   
  
"You call this the deepest chamber!" Zel shouted as he flung the falcon as hard as he could. The transit device had deposited the company in what appeared to be a storage room. It was filled with shelves, as is a library, and each of those shelves was chocked full of odds and ends of no importance. Dust covered everything so thickly it was difficult to determine one object from the next, but it was quite obvious that nothing powerful would ever be kept here. "It is a place of forgetting!" Gourry and Berihn glanced about themselves as though it would be the last place they would ever see. Lina glared at Zel, waving her hand and releasing a spell that would prevent the falcon demon from colliding painfully into the wall. Teba shook himself fiercely before settling once again on the sorceress' shoulderguard.  
  
"Forgetting logic perhaps," he screeched, giving Zelgadis a twisted bird smile. "The legacy is here, Shaman, you just have to find it."  
  
"If this is your idea of a joke I swear you will never --"  
  
"Zelgadis enough!" Lina interjected, placing a hand sternly on her hip. "If he says that it's here, then we'd better get looking for it wouldn't you think? Rezo and Eris may be here any minute." Zel grunted before turning to inspect the bookcase closest to him.  
  
"Fine, but don't stray far, falcon. I'm not quite finished with you. And Lina," he whirled just in time to see her pocket a rare coin found on another shelf. "I wouldn't take anything from here if I were you. Keep those hands engaged in something useful." She threw him a death glare, but replaced the gold anyway.   
  
They searched through the clutter anxiously, each jumping at every small sound, wondering if it were Rezo entering the chamber. Once the dust was blown off there were artifacts of every size and description. There were several books that were sealed by magic, and Zel demanded to read the title of each one before it was discarded, hoping it might contain the reverse spell for his condition. A crystal ball held tightly in the talons of a pewter dragon, flared a dazzling green when Gourry uncovered it and for a moment they were all certain that it was what they were looking for. . . .until the pewter dragon crushed it between its paws, roared at the company, and crumbled away. Lina uncovered a human skull that began to laugh when she touched it, but once it saw the looming form of Zelgadis, its giggling cut off into a whimper. There were orihalcon statues, strange daggers that Lina deemed dangerous enough to leave covered in dust. There was a violin that didn't seem to have any magical value whatsoever. "Maybe he played the violin?" And a jack in the box startled Lina so badly she almost destroyed an entire bookshelf with a reflex fireball. "What kind of nut was that Red Priest?" There were other things as well. A broomstick, several swords of various sizes, a full suit of armor "don't get close to that, it will more than likely attack," cluttered the wall where there weren't any bookcases. There was a real dragonfly preserved in glass and hung on a leather band, but its purpose was unclear. One thing was for certain: none of these items were the legacy.   
  
"Lord?" Berihn called, drawing Zelgadis' attention to yet another shelf filled with miscellaneous objects. "I've found something interesting. It practically radiates power." Eager and attentive, Zel came to take the mask from the Plainsman. It seemed an ordinary mask, adorned with feathers, with a beak for the nose. Used perhaps for some masquerade Rezo had attended many years before. At least that's all it looked like, but Teba gave a shriek of rage and swooped down to seize the mask from Zel's fingers.   
  
"Teba?" Lina cried up to him in surprise. "Do you know what that is?"   
  
"Give it back, bird," Zel growled, gathering a spell in his palm. The demon falcon screeched a laugh, circling above them with the feathered mask in his talons.   
  
"Give it back? Do you realize how long I've been waiting for this?" He shook the mask to emphasize his point. Lina collected energy for a fireball while Teba tossed the mask deftly. He caught it directly on his beaked face. . .and began to change. In the time it took Lina to release the fireball the falcon had transformed into a winged monster. The fireball glanced off him without inflicting any damage.  
  
"Rezo put his power into that mask," Lina cried, finally seeing the falcon the way Zel had always seen him. The chimera shoved her to the floor as the demon swooped downward to rip her open with his enhanced talons.   
  
"Wonderful," he muttered with more than a hint of annoyance before shouting over his shoulder. "Gourry! Use your sword!" A flash of confusion crossed the blademaster's face, but he did as commanded. Teba circled the room, knocking over bookshelves as if searching for something.   
  
"Hey, Zel? What's --"   
  
"Be quiet, Lina, there's an enormous demon falcon above us in case you haven't picked up on that yet."  
  
"But Zel!" Using her shoulder, he pushed himself to his feet, giving one last glance to make sure she stayed where he left her. Teba gave a shriek so incredible a few of the older artifacts crumbled to dust. The pure humans in the room were forced to cover their ears, bending down to close off the noise. Gourry dropped his sword which was calmly picked up by Eris who had just entered the room with Rezo.   
  
"Well done, Teba," she purred to the falcon as if it were a pet. "Now where is the legacy?"   
  
"I've got it!" Lina called triumphantly holding up a stone tablet covered in ancient runes. Rezo's legacy had been a part of the floor for years. All this time it had been right under their feet. Eris smirked at the sorceress, then nodded to Teba who swooped again to attack Lina. She gave a quick cry of shock before turning, covering the tablet with her body to keep him from taking it from her.   
  
"Zelgadis take care of that thing!" She screamed. Zel looked as Teba tore into her back, screeching and clawing at her to get her to turn over. He needed the sword, but when he ran to Eris to grab it the slave girl brandished it.  
  
"Are you so immortal now that even a sword of light is of no use against you?" She asked, still smiling calmly. Lina cried out again.   
  
"Source of all souls which dwells in the eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite!" He gathered the spell between his hands, aiming it directly at the demon. He heard Eris take one step forward as if to stop him. At the last possible second, when the power was so great he had to release it or be consumed by it, he spun and cast it at the black haired slave girl. "Ra-Tilt!" Her eyes widened in surprise, but she did exactly as he'd expected. As reflex, her body flinched inward, her eyes squeezed shut, and she held up the only form of defense she had. . . Gourry's sword. The Ra-Tilt slammed directly into the shimmering blade. The shock of the impact caused Eris to release her hold on the hilt. Zel took the opportunity to grab it in a levitation spell and float it quickly over to him. Using it as a spear, he flung it at Teba, hitting him squarely in the chest. The sword instantly killed the falcon, and the Ra-Tilt he had used to enhance its power destroyed the demon. There was a grand explosion, with an intense flash of light.  
  
"Lina!" Gourry rushed forward as soon as the light had diminished. Ignoring his hilt, the blade had receded, he knelt to help the sorceress into a sitting position. Zel was there too, a Healing spell already flowing from his fingers to the claw wounds on her back.   
  
"Zelgadis," she stuttered, her eyelids fluttering as she attempted to stay conscious. Blood stained Zel's ivory colored tunic as he pressed his hands against the gashes. "Take the legacy, use it quickly and destroy Rezo while he's here. We've got him, Zel."   
  
"Hush Lina," Gourry murmured, gathering her small body to him. The Healing spell was taking its course, but it would be several hours before she regained any of her strength. As the blonde swordsman whispered words of encouragement to the sorceress, Zelgadis took the tablet from her and stood to confront Eris.   
  
"No!" Berihn cried before Zel even knew what he was going to do. He leaped to stand between them, his hands outstretched. "Not her, Lord," he begged, giving a pleading look to the chimera. "Let me deal with her."  
  
"Step away, Berihn," Zel growled. "She's not who you think she is anymore. Haven't you realized that?"   
  
"I agreed to help you against Rezo, but I never thought you meant her any harm."   
  
"Berihn! Don't make me --" Eris' sharp laugh cut him off, and caused the Plainsman to regard her curiously.   
  
"Fools!" She cried, pointing to the bit of stone Zel held tightly. "You have no power here." The runes on the stone flashed a blinding blue before it shot out of Zel's grasp, as if on its own will, and directly to the smirking Eris. "No one," she went on, savoring each word as she was savoring her victory. "No one can invoke this but me." Behind her, Zel thought he saw Rezo's lips twitch upward at her statement. "And once I gain the power Rezo left behind, you will all be destroyed."   
  
"Ebonis, don't do this," Berihn shouted, unsheathing his sword with the attitude of someone who didn't know what he was doing. She ignored him, levitating herself until she was level with a statue of Zanafar that had been carved out of the wall high above the bookshelves. Her lips moved in an incantation and sparks flew between the statue of the tablet. A conduit flared into existence and she released her hold on the stone. It remained in the air, floating slowly towards the front claws of the demon beast statue.  
  
Zel clenched his hands. They were helpless. Once Eris had that power, power enough to destroy Shabranigdo, they were finished. Lina might have won even after the legacy was invoked, but in her condition there could be no way she would be able to fight. The tablet grew closer every second, and all Zel could do was watch. Another time he might have levitated in an attempt to prevent it, smash the stone to dust, but he knew that if he were to get anywhere near that glowing conduit that sealed the statue and the legacy, he would be killed in an instant. There was only one chance. He had to kill Eris before the stone joined with Zanafar. He gave a quick glance at Berihn, who looked like a man in shock, staring at Eris as if he'd never seen her before. It was an easy guess to say that he would get no help from him, and Gourry was still standing guard over Lina. Whatever he did, he must do it quickly, and alone.  
  
  
  



	24. Behold the Power of Autumn's Hand

Chapter 24: Behold the Power of Autumn's Hand  
  
When the first explosion sounded, both Jaylin and Amelia had leaped to their feet. Amelia gathering a spell on instinct, and Jaylin trying to look everywhere at once.   
  
"What happened?" Amelia demanded of the priest, the only one of the three who had remained calm. He looked up from where he was studying the ground to consider her before shrugging.  
  
"They've found each other, I would suppose."  
  
"And the legacy?" Jaylin asked and received another shrug.   
  
"There is no way to determine that, but if they have it will be worse for our side."  
  
"Meaning what?"  
  
"Rezo created Eris for a purpose. You don't suppose just anyone could invoke the legacy do you?" Jaylin gritted her teeth together.  
  
"You wouldn't mind elaborating would you?"  
  
"Rezo was planning on resurrecting Shabranigdo. Since he wasn't planning on the monster being reborn in his own body, he needed a way to destroy him again. So he created the legacy."  
  
"What is the legacy?"  
  
"It is a method of resurrecting the only monster capable of killing Shabranigdo, the demon beast, Zanafar. He created Zelgadis as a chimera so that he would be physically able to handle being joined with Zanafar."  
  
"Meaning that for Zanafar to be reborn, he needs to be joined with a mortal?"  
  
"A mortal and demon mix, or a mortal who is a very powerful magic user. Rezo planned on using him to destroy Shabranigdo, and then planned on using you to amplify his magic to destroy Zanafar."  
  
"But that's stupid! Why need Zanafar at all when he could have used me to kill Shabranigdo?"  
  
"Because Zanafar could give him power if it was joined with one of his servants. You would have been used against your will, but Zanafar would have been a slave. Anyway, when Zelgadis turned against Rezo, the red priest was forced to create another chimera, this time with a stronger demon to seal her more strongly to him. She will follow him to the death if necessary, and I believe it will be necessary."  
  
"Can't we do something?" Xellos made a soothing gesture.  
  
"Not yet we can't. Believe me, Jaylin, you will have your chance. You will do more for this world than anyone could possibly hope to accomplish. Be content with that." She sighed, gritting her teeth, and commanding her fist to unclench. It wasn't doing her any good to get upset anyway. The power inside her would flare up as her emotions became heated. Since she didn't want to cause herself an injury before the actual fighting began she would have to keep herself calm. But being calm is very difficult when she knew her love was fighting for his life somewhere in the darkness below her.   
  
Zelgadis' first attempt was to destroy Eris, since when Zanafar was reborn he would join with her. He would have had a clean shot had the copy Rezo stayed out of the way. He'd almost forgotten about the false Red Priest in all the commotion, and that was a deadly mistake. Just as he was unsheathing his sword to cast a spell through it, Rezo stepped very calmly before Eris, shielding her from any attack. Undaunted, Zelgadis rushed forward, intending on cutting the man down before he had a chance to retaliate. However, it was as if he had run into a stone barrier and was propelled backward by an intense magical power into the rock of the chamber wall behind him. He felt his head crack stone against stone and he slid down to land in a crumpled heap on the floor. A force field! A very strong one at that. It would take too much time to disarm it, and he was having trouble keeping things focused after the harsh blow to his skull. Gourry gave him a pleading glance, hoping that the chimera could do something to prevent the inevitable. Berihn was watching Eris with a melancholy expression on his face, seemingly unable to do anything but stand in utter shock. Lina clung to Gourry's arm, which was circled protectively around her, with one hand and reached out the other to give Zel a healing spell.   
  
A sharp snapping sound, like the crack of lightning, exploded within the echoing stone of the deepest chamber. The tablet had joined itself with the statue. There would be no hope for them now. Eris jerked her head upwards at the noise, smiling triumphantly and levitating herself to be parallel with the statue of Zanafar.   
  
"At last," Zel heard her say in a voice of pure ecstasy. "The power is mine."  
  
"Ebonis, don't!" Berihn shrieked, running forward as if to stop her, but it wasn't his cry that made her scarlet veiled eyes open wide and her mouth drop open. A bolt of white hot fire ripped through her chest before slamming harmlessly into the wall. She tried to scream in pain, but only a thick, choking sound came from her throat. No longer able to hold the levitation spell she fell to the ground, landing hard on her back on the stone in the exact center of the chamber. Berihn screamed in horror and rushed to her side, getting blood all over himself in the process. He pulled his cloak from his shoulders to staunch the wound, but it was too burned and gushing so much blood that Zel knew that it was a futile attempt to save her.   
  
He turned his attention from the couple on the floor upward to see the cause of Eris' death, but had to avert his eyes quickly because of the intense blue white light that surrounded the silhouette of the Red Priest.   
  
"No Eris," laughed Rezo breathlessly as he was filled with the power of Zanafar. "You've been useful to me, but this is where your part of the deal comes to an end."   
  
"Monster!" Zel shouted, standing a little too quickly for his equilibrium to handle. He slumped against the wall, wondering how they could possibly go up against this powerful of a magic user when combined with the demon beast Zanafar. Rezo laughed with such levity it made Zelgadis shudder.   
  
"Perhaps," he finally said once he had regained his composure. "But it will give me the means to destroy all of you." Zelgadis paused. Why did he want to kill them so badly? What was it about them that he hated so? They wouldn't even have known he existed if Eris hadn't brought them to the mansion by the use of the bounty. And then he had turned on his creator to take the power for himself so he could destroy them. But for what purpose? Zelgadis exchanged a puzzled glance with Lina, who was just getting to her feet with Gourry's aid.   
  
Berihn clung to the slave girl, cradling her against him and holding her gaze. She writhed in pain, her color quickly draining from her face as her life force seeped out of her body. He could feel her blood soaking into his tunic, but he could do nothing but hold her still. She coughed up more blood in a thick gush, covering his hands, yet still he would not let her go.   
  
"It isn't Rezo," she whispered in a liquid voice. He leaned in close to hear. "No matter how hard I tried, or how much I wanted, he was still only a copy." Rezo heard her from where he hovered above them all, and he turned his face towards her, his expression distorted in hate.   
  
"I'm better than the original!" He cried, glaring at her as if challenging her to say any different. "I'm much more powerful than he ever could dream of being, and I will prove it to the world!" Eris just looked at him, and as she stared Berihn could see the scarlet drain from her eyes just as her life blood was ebbing from her body. The demon, in an attempt to save itself from the dying body it inhabited, had fled from her, leaving her once again completely human.  
  
"Ebonis, I'm sorry," he sobbed, hugging her close and keeping his eyes locked on hers. She smiled softly as his fingers brushed away the blood on her lips.   
  
"Don't be. I can feel you now, Berihn. I can feel your love, and that leaves no room for any pain." Her words grew softer and softer, and her eyelids closed slowly. She convulsed one last time before she drew her last breath. Berihn hugged her more tightly, biting his lip to keep from keening out loud. He knew that she was gone, and that they were in a lot of danger, but he could not make himself get up. He would die here with her if that's what it came to, but there would be no way he could leave her here.  
  
Zelgadis watched as Berihn bent over the body of what had been his love and felt a burst of relief that he wasn't holding Jaylin in the same fashion. He felt guilty immediately afterward for the thought, but it still kept place in his mind.   
  
"She was a fool," Rezo sneered at the body of his servant lying in a sticky pool of blood. Enraged, Zelgadis cast a rapid Ra-Tilt at the priest, hoping that since Zanafar was a demon the astral spell would have some effect. Rezo laughed insanely as the spell shattered against him, doing him no damage whatsoever. "You truly don't understand do you?" He asked in an incredulous tone. "I have gained infinite power such that your spells won't do you any good. Although. . ." he looked almost longingly at Lina. "There is one spell you can try that might finish me."  
  
"The Giga Slave, Lina," Gourry said, still holding her upright and as close to his side as possible. "He wants you to use the Giga Slave." The fiery haired sorceress narrowed her eyes as she took a step away from her guardian.  
  
"You want me to fire a Giga Slave just so you can prove that you're better than the original Rezo? That's crazy!" The Red Priest smirked. . .and opened his eyes.  
  
"Allow me to persuade you." Lina gave Zel a glance before readying a Dragon Slave in her cupped hands. Zelgadis ran toward the center to protect Berihn who was still crouched over Eris in a deep paralyzing sorrow.   
  
"Berihn," he snapped, reaching a hand down to shake the Plainsman's shoulder. "We have to get away from here, now." Rezo had his arms outstretched, and Zel could feel the strength of whatever spell he was gathering.  
  
"But Ebonis. . .I cannot leave Ebonis."  
  
"You'll be killed."  
  
"What does it matter?" Zel grabbed the man's blood sticky hands, jerking him to his feet.   
  
"It matters! You were willing to help her take her vengeance once, now help us take ours. Come on!" The stones of the walls and floor began to shake and a deep rumbling sound quaked throughout the chamber. The foundation was collapsing as a result of the power collecting in Rezo's outstretched hands.   
  
"This whole place is going to collapse!" Zel shouted, giving a desperate look to Lina and Gourry. "Hurry, get close!" The swordsman scooped up the smaller girl in his arms and rushed over to the chimera just as he set a wind barrier all around them for protection.  
  
"Lina," he ordered in a voice of command. "A Ray-Wing." She gave a quick nod before closing her eyes in concentration. The circle of wind began to rise, carrying with it the four members of the company up and out of the laboratory. Below them they could see the stone falling in on itself, crashing down over the head of the Red Priest who still hovered unharmed in the midst of the chaos.   
  
As the trembling began again in the stone, Xellos also jumped up along with the girls. Jaylin rushed to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the door. A stone from the ceiling was shaken out of its place and shattered at their feet.   
  
"Amelia," the mysterious priest shouted over the clamor of grating stones. "Come, I believe now is the time to make our exit." She gave him a curious glance, but hurried out with them. As they watched the laboratory begin to collapse, Xellos had to grab Jaylin to keep her from running back inside.   
  
"Zelgadis!" She screamed, straining to be free from the priest's grip. "He'll be killed!"  
  
"No! Not yet he won't. He'll make it out of there, have no fear." Just then the rock exploded upwards, revealing a wind barrier carrying the four who had ventured into the laboratory. It came to rest next to Xellos, and Jaylin rushed into Zel's arms as soon as it was dropped.   
  
"Zel," she said breathlessly. "What's going on? What's happened?" He opened his mouth to answer, wondering himself exactly what had happened, but Xellos cut them off.  
  
"Not here," he hissed, giving worried glances toward the wreckage. "He's coming for you. Zelgadis, take Jaylin and the others to Flagoon. He will find his power weakened by the Holy Tree. I can only hold him off for so long so get going!"  
  
"You think to fight him alone?"  
  
"Don't question me, just go!" He gestured wildly for them to leave, watching intently what was left of the laboratory. Zelgadis gathered his fellows to him and once again created a Ray-Wing that would carry them all to the Holy Tree. They flew over the ruins of Old Sairaag, then dipped down to maneuver through the Miasma Forest, all the while Jaylin was held tight in his embrace.   
  
"We have to help him," Lina said as soon as they were all safely between the roots of Flagoon. "No one could ever hope to go up against a magic user and Zanafar at once by themselves. I can't believe you just obeyed him like that."  
  
"Calm down or what he's doing for us right now will be for nothing," Zel commanded, gesturing for her to find a place on a risen root. "We need a plan and quickly."  
  
"Well, whatever we do has to be near the tree because it weakens Zanafar's power." Zel nodded solemnly, pulling Jaylin down next to him to prevent her from looking back the direction they had come. He did not want her to see the battle, her emotional attachment to the priest was too strong, and it was very likely that he would be destroyed with this encounter.   
  
"We've only got one shot, Zel," Lina told him, a certain panic in her voice. "I'll have to use the Giga Slave."  
  
"You know we can't do that. Besides, that is what he wants you to do. Remember? He asked for you to cast that spell which means he's more than certain he can withstand it. So you may end up tipping the scale between chaos and order and not solve a single thing."  
  
"Well a fireball most definitely isn't going to work. He's not even mortal anymore now that he's joined with the demon. We need a Shamanist spell for that." An explosion sounded from the place where Xellos was keeping the copy Rezo at bay. Zel felt Jaylin flinch next to him and he gave her a warning look.  
  
"They're coming closer, Zel," she whispered, obviously trying very hard not to glance over her shoulder. "He can't keep this up for long."  
  
"I've already tried the Ra-Tilt. It shattered right against his chest, Lina. He's still mortal enough that it had no effect."  
  
"Yet he's demon enough so a black magic spell is useless as well." Another crash rumbled the ground beneath them and Jaylin leaped to her feet, jumping on a root just as pinpricks of light from the clash of different magicks floated to the earth. Zelgadis grabbed her arm, tugging her back down.  
  
"He gave this to us and we're going to use it," he growled, harsher than he meant, but there was nothing they could do without a plan.   
  
"Perhaps my sword?" Gourry volunteered, placing a hand over the hilt.  
  
"We would have to enhance its power, and then you would have to get close enough to hit him with it. Not something I would recommend if you wanted to stay relatively safe."   
  
"So," Lina mused, half to herself. "He is retreating to the astral plain when we cast a black magic spell, and then back to the physical plain when we try a Shamanist attack."  
  
"Can't you attack him from both plains at once?" Gourry suggested and Jaylin nodded her agreement. Lina laughed out loud, though it sounded a bit hysterical.   
  
"Impossible," she snapped. "Zel and I would have to cast a spell at exactly the same time, and he could easily attack one of us while we were gathering the energy."  
  
"What if you were to cast it through something?" Amelia piped up, giving nervous glances to the battlefield that seemed to be drawing nearer to their shelter. Lina and Zel shook their heads at the same time, and Jaylin clenched her hands on the root as she heard a cry behind her. It could be Rezo, but she very much doubted it. Xellos couldn't be allowed to die, he was much too important. But how could she make Zelgadis realize the urgency she felt for keeping him safe?   
  
"It would have to be a living person so the spells could be collected in their body and then sent forth completely joined." Zel muttered impatiently.  
  
"Well. ." Amelia would have said more, possibly even volunteered, but Lina cut her off.  
  
"No human alive could bear having that much energy sent through them. They would surely be killed." Jaylin looked behind her, and saw Xellos and Rezo hovering over the trees of the Miasma Forest, very close to where they were. It would only be a few moments before they would have to fight to defend themselves. Their time was running out to plan their only chance at attack.   
  
"Use me," she demanded firmly, standing before Zelgadis could grab her again. He jumped up, shaking his head in a vigorous no, his hands clenched at his sides.  
  
"Don't be stupid, Jaylin. I could never --"  
  
"If you don't then Xellos will die!" Zel's eyes flashed confusion. "He's too important for us to allow that to happen, Zel. Besides, we don't have any other options here."  
  
"But Jaylin," Lina cut in. "You'll be destroyed." Zel winced at the word, closing his eyes in agony because he knew they had no other choices. Jaylin sent a glance to Amelia, whose expression carried sorrow. . .but understanding as well. She gave the slave girl a quick nod.  
  
"You don't know that." Zel took her hand gently in his, still shaking his head. "He'll be here in a moment, Zel. It's our best shot."  
  
"I can't do this, Jaylin. You know I can't. Why are you so eager to die?"  
  
"I've lived through Shabranigdo's fire. Your magic certainly will not hurt me."  
  
"Hers will," he jerked his head in Lina's direction. "Your body will not handle so much power." A flash of light snapped Jaylin's attention back to Xellos. The copy Rezo had cast another bolt of white hot flame. Xellos' eyes opened wide for a moment in surprise, and the only thing he could do was completely reflex. He lifted his staff, his precious staff, to take the brunt of the magic. It glowed bright crimson and the two magicks collided with an intense burning of light and a shaking of the surrounding area. The staff held strong for a second, before the orb held within it shattered under the force of the more powerful magic. Xellos let out a shriek that was too painful to be human, and fell through the trees of the forest to the ground, clutching the broken staff tightly. In the aftermath, Jaylin swore she saw a ball of scarlet flash skyward to disappear into the darkening heavens.   
  
"Amelia," Jaylin cried as she caught herself just in time from running to the unprotected priest. "Will you do it? You can cast a Ra-Tilt can't you?" Amelia nodded, coming forward with Lina.  
  
"Wait!" Zelgadis shouted, half sobbing, jumping between Lina and Jaylin. "Why you? Why does it have to be you?" Her eyes shone with some unknown secret as she looked at him. It made him shudder to see them that way. Around her he could see the power gathering from somewhere within herself. An occurrence that should not be happening. She blazed with terrible serenity, and he realized that she knew exactly what she was doing. But somehow that didn't make it any easier.   
  
"Because I have volunteered. Zelgadis, will you trust me?" He swallowed harshly. Why was it becoming difficult to breathe? He lowered his head.  
  
"I trust you, Jaylin, but I can't see you killed." She crouched low to catch his eyes. He could see himself reflected in the calm sureness of her gaze. There was fire there also, burning with force. He'd never seen her this way before, so in control.   
  
"I was never yours in the way you want me to be, Zel." This stunned him into silence. "For the sake of Sairaag you must do this." Torn, he turned to see Xellos, huddled pathetically on the ground, covered in gashes from his fall through the trees, and he also saw Rezo coming very slowly and calmly toward them.   
  
"I'll be joining you soon," he whispered in her ear as he caught her up in what would be their last embrace. Jaylin smiled softly. He didn't know the truth of his own words. "Come Lina, quickly! Amelia and Gourry attack from either side to distract him while we do this. Now!" Amelia bobbed her head in assent and grabbed Gourry, running ahead to confront the copy. Overhead clouds gathered for a late summer storm. Such an occurrence was not uncommon, but that it chose now to begin was an interesting coincidence.   
  
Rezo stood, calm and impenetrable, the miasma of Zanafar ghosting around him in a blue haze. He smirked as the company drew near, Berihn hurrying ahead to help Xellos out of the way.   
  
"It's the only way, Lina," the copy said, stopping before he came too close to the holy tree. "Let us see the power of your Giga Slave."  
  
"And then what, Rezo?" She taunted. "After you've proved yourself against him, what will you do then?" The copy gave a glance to Xellos, who was leaning against Berihn for support.   
  
"It's a secret," he smirked, and cast a casual fireball in the priest's direction. Jaylin cried out, but the fireball wasn't meant for Xellos. It was meant for the tree. The branches howled at the impact, but that might have been because of the wind. A triumphant look on his face, he smiled at Zel, then noticed Jaylin as if for the first time.   
  
"You," he seemed surprised to see her. His eyes lost some of their arrogance as they searched hers. For the first time, Rezo was afraid. Jaylin's hair blew about her, but she stood unruffled at his gaze. "There's no hope for you."  
  
"Isn't there?" Zel cringed away from her voice.   
  
"Look around you, Meleyal. The Angel of Summer has flown. Your warrior is dying, and in the end the victory is mine." Jaylin smiled her imitation of Zelgadis' half smile. Zel gestured to Gourry, a quick harsh motion of his hand, but the swordsman understood. This would be their only chance, right now, when Jaylin held the copy motionless in some locked staring battle. He gave a sidelong look to Lina, who was watching him, waiting for the time to strike.   
  
Gourry drew his blade, and a hot, hissing sound cut through the silence as the light burst forth from the sheathe. Amelia gathered a quick spell and cast it onto the revealed blade, making it that much brighter with the energy. With his enhanced weapon, he rushed forward, attacking Rezo from his weak side. Surprised, the copy made a clumsy block, and Gourry managed to press him back towards the tree. It was perfect. Amelia joined in, shielding the swordsman from any spell Rezo would try, and together they kept forcing Rezo into Flagoon.   
  
Jaylin's cobalt eyes considered the chimera. "Now, Zelgadis, it must be now."  
  
"I know." He kissed her cheek softly, before placing his hand on her shoulder. Lina came up on the other side, also touching the slave girl.   
  
"This had better work," was all she would say, not looking at anything but the ground. Jaylin closed her eyes in concentration, and the spell began.   
  
"Source of all souls," Zelgadis heard the words as if from far away. Above him the wind howled through the leaves of the tree, and the hissing of Gourry's sword. "Which dwells in the eternal --"  
  
"Darkness beyond the twilight, in crimson blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time --" Lina's voice also sounded very far away. The only thing he felt now was the power that flowed from his fingers into the body of the tiny girl who would die because of what he was doing at the very moment.   
  
"And infinite --"  
  
"Is where your --"  
  
"Everlasting flame of blue -"  
  
"Power grows. I pledge myself to conquer all --"  
  
"The power hidden in my soul be called forth --"  
  
"All the foes who stand against the --"  
  
"Infinite!"  
  
"Mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Dragon!"  
  
"Tilt!" The power was so great it knocked both the chimera and Lina backward. The wind screamed now with the familiar force of magic, and Jaylin stood a dazzling beacon of energy against the twilight. Her eyes were still squeezed shut in fierce concentration, and her hands clasped together in effort to keep the spells inside her under control. Zel shielded his face from the dust that was now whirling everywhere in the wind, and watched Jaylin carefully. Rezo was also watching her carefully, his eyes gone terrified.   
  
"The battle is already mine!" He shouted as Amelia pulled Gourry away from him, but the voice was no longer his. It carried the shrieking terror comparable only to a dying demon. "You have no chance!" Jaylin did not answer him, but Zel could hear Xellos' voice, surprisingly strong against the wind.  
  
"Behold the destroying power of autumn's hand!" He cried, still depending entirely on Berihn to keep him upright. Jaylin raised her hand, slowly, carefully, and the combined flows of black and shaman magic burst from her fingers in a deep black bolt streaked with blue. The copy Rezo shrieked as the spear of magic impaled him, and crashed him into Flagoon. The miasma around him sparked, flared, and was absorbed back into the holy tree. Rezo twitched in the grotesque spasms of the dying, before the magic encompassed him entirely.   
  
As the energy drained from Jaylin, she staggered to keep from falling. Zel rushed to her, taking her into his arms just before she lost her balance completely. She was so small, so frail, although she had not seemed that way when she had volunteered for this. It had been too much for any human to handle. He lowered her to the ground, holding her gently, her head pillowed against his chest. Blood trickled from her nose, and he knew before he had knelt that she was gone.   
  
"Open your eyes," he commanded in a strained, broken voice. "One more time, please, look at me." He didn't know why he was pleading with her to come back to him; he knew better than that. The outside world faded to nothing more than a faint scream of the wind around him, but he and Jaylin were alone in their own place. "You knew this would happen." He felt a hand on his shoulder, but shrugged it away angrily.   
  
"Zelgadis-sama, let her go." It was Amelia, shouting above the coming storm. "She's not there." He snarled something unintelligible, not wanting her anywhere near them. He still felt that she would take something from him, though with Jaylin lost he truly had nothing left that she could take. "You have something more important you need to do." She grabbed him, but he shoved her roughly away. She gave him a wounded look, and did not advance again. Instead she looked to Xellos who was searching the sky for something unseen. Zel saw his eyes grow wide as he appeared to find what he was looking for.  
  
"Call her name, Zelgadis!" The priest shrieked above the dark wind that gusted through the remaining trees of the Miasma forest. "Now before she's too far to hear. Call her to you!" The heated desperation in his shout and Zel's own desire to will the tiny, slave girl into life again made him yell out her name as loud as he could into the wind. He allowed himself to lay her body down and stand, scanning the clouded heavens for what Xellos was staring intently at. A flickering blue light was all he saw, what might have been an aftermath of the spell Jaylin had released. He felt his heart leap as he saw it, and he could not look away.  
  
"Zelgadis-sama," piped a voice at his elbow. Amelia was there, her dark hair blowing across her eyes, crouched low next to him. "Unsheathe your sword, quickly!" He fumbled at his belt, too dazed to ask questions, not wanting to look away from the pinprick of light struggling in the storm above them. Could that possibly be Jaylin? Her soul in that firefly small dot of blue? "Raise the sword up, Zelgadis-sama," came the instruction from Amelia. "Now. No, hold it by the blade, hilt to the sky, let her see where you are. Send yourself to guide her." Her? He took a painful gasp as he realized that it was true. She had not gone yet, they could save her. "Extend your thoughts. Let her hear them. Help her find you." He would have closed his eyes, but something told him to keep them fixed on the blue soul that struggled against the wind to come to him, and the light faded to almost nothing, almost causing him to lose her in the dark clouds.   
  
"She's weakening!" He yelled out to Amelia in alarm. She was weaving a sign in the air with her fingers that he didn't know the meaning of.   
  
"I know," she muttered crossly. "That's why you need to concentrate."  
  
The first pelt of rain landed on his face, soon followed by a harsh sheet. Clouds billowed across the sky and the ball of light faltered. Zel kept his eyes on it, not daring even to blink. Here, Jaylin, he thought, stretching the sword as high as he could. I'm here, right here, come to me. For a moment, he lost the blue in a lightning flash, and his heart stopped until he found it again, barely there at all. Next to him he heard Amelia reciting a strange spell, but he didn't pay much attention. Through the rainy darkness came a soft voice, a tiny frightened voice that whispered in his mind, saying, "Where are you? I can't see. I'm lost." The pinprick of light hovered above them, fighting to stay still in the wind. He stretched the sword higher, thinking desperately of something that would help her down to him.   
  
"When you are lost and afraid," he found himself singing the old familiar tune. "Listen and you will hear," another bolt of lightning and deafening crash of thunder made him flinch for her safety. "A distant serenade. It's a melody that keeps on beckoning." He never finished because at that moment Amelia threw her hands heavenward, releasing the spell. A zigzag of lightning forked its way right through Jaylin's tiny soul of light. . .and into the pommel of Zel's uplifted sword. He heard his breath harsh in his ears as searing energy coursed into him. Was this what was supposed to happen, or was it an accident caused by the storm? He felt his grip weaken on the hilt as it grew too hot to hold onto. His vision flashed a brilliant white before going completely black, and his last thought as he lost consciousness was that Jaylin was lost to him forever.   
  
  
  



	25. Entwined for Eternity

Chapter 25: Entwined for Eternity  
  
Dark. That was all there was to his world. Darkness over everything because the darkness was everything. There seemed something wrong with that. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Light was everything wasn't it? And dark only the absence of light. Therefore, if everything was now darkness then the world was not as it should be. This was Zel's first logic upon coming back into his senses. The first chord of a guitar melody echoed into his logic, making him realize that darkness could be banished by the simple action of opening his eyes.   
  
He found himself laying on his side in a patch of late summer wildflowers. Birds chirped above him to the time of the familiar tune that played into the serenity of the forest. He stretched, smiled, and sat up to look about himself, wondering when and how he had fallen asleep.  
  
Jaylin was there, perched upon her rock, her hair glinting silver in the dappled sunlight streaming down from the openings of the trees overhead. She smiled when she saw him watching her, and set down her guitar. Nonetheless the music continued without the motions of her fingers. This, however, didn't seem to be unusual for she did not even seem to hear it. Her eyes shining, she took his arm, folding it around herself, tucking her body against his in the manner they used when he taught her the motions of the sword. He obliged her unspoken request, taking her wrist in his hand and guiding it to the sheathe at his hip.   
  
They did not speak, but moved in rhythm to the music. He could feel her against him as they performed their strange dance, and her motions seemed to blend seamlessly into his. The scent of her hair made him close his eyes to further enjoy the use of his other senses. The urge to kiss her grew with each form, until he gave in and spun her around in his arms, the sword between them. She did not resist, her eyes still sparkling with secret as she considered him. He bent down to brush her lips gently. She drew back in surprise, demanding explanation with her gaze, but as she looked at him the expression softened. She closed her eyes, waiting. Accepting her silent invitation, he bent down again to exchange a longer, more passionate, kiss as the melody played on.   
  
When he opened his eyes once more it was not only Jaylin's eyes that were sparkling. Her entire body glowed with some unknown radiance. He felt her place the sword into his hands as the light surrounding her began to resemble some sort of mist. He sent her a questioning look, but her only answer was a smile and a few hummed notes of the song. The light brightened, becoming too intense for him to look at straight on, and all the while Jaylin disappeared into it. It shrank into a small sphere of pure whiteness and flew into the pommel of his sword where it winked out completely, leaving him alone in the darkness again.  
  
This darkness was familiar now, and he figured out much sooner that he had nothing more difficult to do than unclose his eyes before it was gone. He was now on a pallet inside an inn room. The morning sun came in through the window and a tiny blue and silver bird perched on the sill. The sound of the door opening brought his attention from the little creature to the other side of the room where Amelia entered with a tray balanced on her hip. When she saw him looking at her, she nodded to herself.  
  
"Xellos told me you would be awake," she said, setting the tray down. "I was beginning to think you would sleep through until winter."  
  
"How long have I been sleeping?"  
  
"Two days. Berihn carried you into town, though he was sure you were going to die. Everyone was sure, except Xellos of course, he's always known more than he's let on."  
  
"Berihn? What happened?"   
  
"Well, the lightning struck you, do you remember?" Yes, he could still feel that if he dwelled on the memory long enough. "And then it was all over. The storm stopped right then, and the shrine maidens came hurrying from the temple to see if any damage had been done to the tree. They are probably still there casting healing spells after what copy Rezo did to it, but anyway, Berihn and the others managed to get you and Xellos here into the inn. That was no easy task either, you kept jerking around and screaming about something." That seemed odd that he would do that since the vision he had seen in the darkness had been so peaceful. "The innkeeper almost wouldn't let us in, but Xellos and Lina talked him into it." He let her voice drone on while he put together the pieces in his head. The spell, and then the lightning, but before the lightning had been the little flash of blue.  
  
"What happened to Jaylin?" He blurted the question out, interrupting Amelia's narrative. She blinked herself into silence, her eyes gone confused, then sympathetic. He hated seeing them that way. "Never mind, I remember." She was dead, Amelia's resurrection spell had failed, and he had been foolish to even hope it would work out.   
  
"I think Xellos wants to talk to you about that."  
  
"Where is Xellos?" He found himself asking, though he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to talk to the meddling priest at the moment. However, it was something to take his mind off of what he would do now that the battle was over and she was gone.   
  
"In the room at the end of the hall, to your left when you walk out the door." He nodded, pulling the blankets away from him and standing. There was a quick wave of dizziness, but he found that he was capable of motion without support. He was almost out of the room when a deep pulling on his mind made him hesitate in the doorframe. It was as if someone had called out to him because he had left them behind. He turned around to find Amelia giving him a puzzled look, but that was not what he was looking for. His sword lay propped against the wall, properly inside its sheathe, but the hilt was revealed, and in it was a dazzling silver cobalt stone. The sun played over its polished surface, making it seem almost alive with the light, and this is what he wanted. This was what he had forgotten. Gently, without knowing why he was being gentle, he buckled the weapon in its place, savoring its familiar weight against his hip and thigh, and hurried down to the priest's room.  
  
He was there, of course, no reason for him to be anywhere else, sitting on the bed and gazing out the window. When Zel closed the door behind him, he turned his attention and smiled softly.  
  
"I thought you would be joining me this morning," he said in a voice that was much different than before. It had lost its sense of secret, and the sarcasm was gone. His words were simply that. . .words.   
  
"What did you have done with the body?" It was pointless to say whose body. They both knew who he was speaking of, and he didn't think he could speak her name out loud again for a quite some time anyway.   
  
"It has been prepared for burial and lies in a coffin, awaiting your orders. I did not think you would want it to remain here." He nodded.  
  
"No, she did not belong here. Her place was in the forests of the south, and I think it is time that I brought her home. I owe it to her mother."  
  
"Very well." He pushed himself off the bed with a slight grimace, his motions stiff and slow as the movements of a very old man. "We shall be off at once."  
  
"You are coming with me?"  
  
"I have much to speak with you about, Zelgadis, before we part ways forever."  
  
"All right then. I shall return for you as soon as I retrieve the coffin and means to transport it." Although he wished to be alone, Berihn insisted on coming with him. The slavemaster had taken to protecting the chimera since he had lost Eris. Sympathy for that loss, and lack of desire to argue, were the only reasons that Zel agreed. Besides, Berihn had had time to examine the city beforehand, and knew where they were going.  
  
Getting the coffin was simple enough, Xellos had taken care of all the details of payment and the like, but the transport was more difficult than Zel had originally thought. Sairaag was a rich city, it was true, but horses were scarce in any part of the world, except in the wild plains of the east, and it took careful persuasion on Berihn's part before they could get a willing farmer to sell his beast. It was after the purchase of the cart that Zel was finally grateful that the Plainsman had come along. He found himself hovering behind Berihn like a shadow, his hand clutched tightly to the hilt of his sword without even knowing why. He felt tired, but not as empty as he thought he would be. And he felt no shame that there was no real sorrow. At every corner he expected to run into Jaylin, because he felt her presence so close. It was almost as if she hadn't died, even though he knew she had. He had seen her die, had been holding her when it happened, but the reality of her being gone had not yet sunken in.   
  
Berihn understood him more than anyone else could, though Zel was sure that the Plainsman was suffering a greater pain than he let on. He tugged Zel along patiently, as the chimera was not focusing on anything at all. He did all of the talking, and had to push Zel into motion to get him walking back towards the inn when they were finally finished.   
  
"Where do you mean to go?" He asked as they walked.  
  
"I mean to return to Tegyrn for Jaylin's funeral."  
  
"May I join you?"  
  
"What of Mestronia?"  
  
"There is nothing there that holds any interest for me any longer." He nodded slowly, understanding.  
  
"You may go where you choose." There was no further discussion between them, each content to leave the other in their individual silent sorrow. Zel wasn't sure what he thought of the Plainsman coming with him, but he simply didn't want to discuss anything with anyone, especially the man who he had planned revenge upon for so long.   
  
Amelia was waiting for them when they came back in the early afternoon, leading their horse and cart with the coffin, covered in a blue muslin cloth, resting in the back. Her deep eyes watched Zel carefully as he made his way to the door. They were so intense that he quickly grew self conscious, automatically lowering his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword. The young princess had always made him feel uneasy, and now that everything seemed over it was no different. Every glance she gave him, every gesture, made him nervous and wanting to be away from her. She opened her mouth as if to speak, sighed instead, and looked at the ground.  
  
"You'll be leaving now, I suppose," she finally muttered, her hands clasped behind her back in a childish motion. He nodded, half afraid that she would ask to come with him, and he was thinking of a quick reason for her not to follow when she rushed forward to hug him tightly. She managed to kiss his cheek in a slight brushing of lips before he pulled her away, holding her shoulders to study her.  
  
"What is the matter with you?" He demanded, wondering what had possessed her to perform the action. She looked up at him with tears twinkling in her eyes on the verge of falling, then broke away to run from him in the direction of the shrine of Sairaag. He thought of calling her back, to apologize if anything, but a hand on his shoulder prevented him. Lina stood there, shaking her head, her lips parted in a silent "no." It was then that Zel concluded that all women were odd at best, and sometimes completely indecipherable.   
  
"I didn't mean to hurt her," he explained quickly. "But I wasn't expecting. . " She waved her hand at him.  
  
"Don't worry about it. She knew she could never have you." She was watching the way Amelia had gone, folding her arms.  
  
"I don't think I understand." Lina smiled, closing her eyes and patting his shoulder as if he were a child.   
  
"Of course not, you really couldn't have noticed I guess, but Amelia has loved you from the moment you first met her. A childish love, naturally, not worth being upset over. She'll get over it before you've arrived at whatever place it is that you are intending on traveling. Besides, she'll never become a shrine maiden if she's following you all over creation."  
  
"I didn't know."  
  
"I wouldn't let it bother me. She knew that you belonged to Jaylin. It'll be fine, she'll go on with her life, and without you." Berihn interrupted them then, as he came outside to tie down the coffin in the back of the cart. He tried to be as silent as possible, but both of them wanted a distraction from what they had been talking about, and gladly changed the subject.  
  
"Where are you going anyway?" Lina asked curiously as she watched the Plainsman work.   
  
"I'm taking Jaylin home, Lina." Somehow saying the words out loud made it sound strange. He was taking her home, to a village that had given her up into slavery, and a mother she had never known. But more than that, he was taking her back to the forests she had grown up in. Taking her back to a childhood that belonged with him, but was it really for her that he was doing these things? What did she care where her physical body was placed? She had no more need of it. No, he decided, it wasn't for her that he was doing these things, but for himself. He needed this to feel that he was doing the right thing, that he had done the right thing for Jaylin from the beginning. He needed to feel that he was taking care of her, even if she no longer required him to.   
  
He was thinking over these things when the first swirl of color entered his mind. It was small at first, but grew quickly into a burst of cheery blue and bright gold. His breath caught, and he had to thrust out his hand to the inn wall to support himself. The colors drifted through his head, bringing with them a feeling of slight melancholy and much sympathy. But where had they come from? What presence had entered his mind so that even his thoughts were interrupted by strange sensations and hues? It almost made him panicked to think that something had been able to take control of him without him ever realizing it had taken place. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the color to depart, and the presence to be gone from him.  
  
"Let her be, Zelgadis," he heard Xellos soothe from the inn doorway. "She'll exhaust herself if you fight her like that. She's only trying to help, you know." How could Xellos possibly have known? Wait, who? Zelgadis dropped his attempts of forcing the other presence from his mind in order to stare at the priest, who leaned wearily against the doorframe, his eyes serious for once.   
  
"What does that mean?" Zelgadis demanded of him. "What riddle is this?" Xellos appeared surprised at being asked such a thing, blinking at Zel before responding.  
  
"It is no riddle, it is painfully obvious who I am speaking of." Zel shook his head, wanting to think the impossible, but not daring to give himself the luxury.   
  
"Painfully obvious perhaps, but nothing is clear without a bit of light to make it that way. Now tell me plainly, who are you talking about?"  
  
"Why, Jaylin of course." Assent filled him in a flash of deep green, almost as if the presence was nodding. "Didn't you recognize her?" Jaylin? How could that be? Yet as he thought about it he did recognize her. It was her feelings that filled his mind with color, and her familiar force that seemed part of him now. His hand moved to rest on his sword.   
  
"The lightning?" He heard himself ask, that being the only explanation he could think of on how Jaylin's soul had been joined to him. Xellos nodded, winced slightly, and sighed.   
  
"In part," he allowed softly. "She was always yours, Zelgadis, just not in the way you expected." Zel remembered him saying that before, and Jaylin herself had quoted him in that phrase, but he had not truly understood what it meant until just now. So Jaylin was his, joined to him more tightly than any lovers the world had ever known because she was a part of him. But why were they joined thus? Was it simply a failed resurrection spell or something more significant? There had to be some reason. Thousands of couples were separated from the other by death all the time. What made Jaylin and him so special?  
  
"This has to do with Jaylin's magic doesn't it?" It had to be. Jaylin's peculiar magic that had no name or specific trait, yet it had enabled her to magnify power, or to absorb it almost at will. He had thought that everything was ended now that she was dead, but now he was second guessing himself.  
  
"You never are content with what you have are you?" Xellos sighed. "But you are right. It does have very much to do with Jaylin's magic, and your own. You have a great test ahead of you, Zelgadis Greywers."   
  
"Test? What test? Everything is over, priest, we have won."   
  
"It is far from over, Zelgadis. It will not be over until there is another beginning."  
  
"More puzzles, more games, can nothing you say ever make sense?"  
  
"Do not worry so, I will teach you all you need to know, and Jaylin will help you with the rest. You did dream of her did you not?" Was there anything he did not know?  
  
"I did, but what has she to do with this?"  
  
"She is as new to this as you are, but she will quickly learn and be able to communicate with you with words instead of only colors and feelings. She will be more sensitive to what you must do when the time comes. I will begin your preparation to the best of my ability, and the rest is up to you and Jaylin." As he spoke his voice became melancholy, as if he were longing for something that was unobtainable to him. Zel didn't know what to make of it.   
  
"I still do not understand."  
  
"Do not question so fervently. We have a little time yet, and this is not the place for explanations. Concentrate first on the funeral, and Jaylin's family, and then we shall worry about your answers." Berihn came out of the inn then, brushing past Xellos, laden with provision packs and his blade. He asked no questions of either of them as to what they had been speaking of, deeming it none of his business. Berihn had changed completely and totally from the commanding, almost arrogant, person that he had been when leading Mestronia. He had been humbled down to the simple content of a servant, securing everything into place in the back of the cart and completely ignoring the other two men.  
  
"All is prepared, Lord," were the only words he spoke as he pulled himself up into the driver's seat and gathered the reins into his hand. Lina came back outside to see them off, Gourry hovering protectively at her side, his hand unconsciously around her shoulders, winking at Zel when she noticed that Amelia was still no where to be found. He was thankful that his stone skin would hide any blush at all the implications the action had made.   
  
"I hope you find what you're looking for," she said to him, coming close to shake his hand in parting, making him wonder if indeed he was looking for something. Everything was over, yet he was still trying to find himself, the him that had been before the chimera, even though that young man was lost and could never be recovered no matter how desperate the quest.   
  
"And you," he muttered back, nodding his head. Lina would never slow down as long as there was something else to investigate, but he doubted if he would ever encounter her again where he was going. Tegyrn. Back to the forests of Tegyrn until Xellos decided that it was time for his next adventure to begin. She smiled, stepped back into the comfort of Gourry's side, content. They were close now, having lived through so much, and Zel knew that they would never be separated in this lifetime. The color flared up with that thought, a soothing, rolling ocean blue that seemed to communicate that she was still there and that they were just as close as the sorceress and her protector, and could not be separated ever again. He allowed himself to enjoy that feeling as Lina and Gourry went their own way, and would have continued reveling in Jaylin's presence if it weren't for Berihn touching his elbow to gain his attention.  
  
"Lord?" He whispered. "We're ready to go." Zel nodded to him, and looked back to Xellos who was pushing himself away from the doorframe. He took two staggering steps, almost falling, before Zelgadis caught him, holding him steady.   
  
"What's wrong?" He questioned, thinking there was some injury done to the priest that had not been noticed before.   
  
"The staff is broken, the Angel of Summer has flown, and I am tired of it all." His voice was barely audible, Zel only heard due to his demon enhanced senses.   
  
"The staff? Was it so essential to you?" He felt Xellos sniff in semi-amusement.   
  
"More than you know. Please, no more questions, I just want to rest for a while." A little concerned, Zel assisted the priest to the cart, all but lifting him into the back so he could settle in next to the coffin. He sighed, closing his eyes in a wince that softened into a look of complete exhaustion. It made Zel wonder what he meant, and what the significance was of the staff. Berihn gave him a confused look, but he could only shake his head. The only way he would know anything was through the priest, and it didn't seem that he would be in a very talkative mood for quite some time.   
  
The trip to Tegyrn was quiet and fairly quick. The cart had no problem passing through the flat lands of the plains, and the horse was a fine animal. Xellos kept to himself for the most part, saying next to nothing, eating even less, and he needed help moving about. He never complained about anything, but it was obvious that something was wrong, something more than simple fatigue, but Zel decided not to press him. He had other things on his mind, the foremost being what he was going to tell Tyarli about her daughter. It had been hard enough to bear the bad news about her husband, and now he had to do it again. Even though Jaylin was not truly dead, there was no way he could get her to believe the truth of the matter when her physical body was lying in that coffin. It would probably be better for her this way anyhow. She could have confirmation, her grief, and then her new life afterward.   
  
When they did reach Tegyrn eight days later, the wind carried a chill to it, warning that autumn was close. The wind did not help the priest's condition at all, causing him to wrap himself securely in his cloak and go into a deep trance like state that Zel could not rouse him from no matter how hard he attempted.   
  
He was greeted warmly by the elder of the village, who recognized him first, and it wasn't very long after that Tyarli herself was running from her task of hanging laundry to meet him, her deep brown eyes shining with eagerness at what he would tell her.   
  
"Zelgadis!" She cried, throwing herself into his open arms with such force it was a wonder she didn't hurt herself. "You've no idea how glad I am to see you return. I'd thought you were dead." He smiled, hugging her as tightly as he dared for she was the only mother he had ever known who had cared for him at all.   
  
"After what I've been through there is no reason I should be alive, surely, but I was saved for something."  
  
"And Jaylin?" Her hope was so strong it was almost tangible, and Zel felt something catch in his throat as he looked into her eyes. If will alone were strong enough, Tyarli would have brought Jaylin back to life in that very instant with nothing else save the desire she had to see her daughter one more time.   
  
"She is gone," he told her gently, unable to bring himself to say that she was dead when he knew very well that it was a lie. "She sacrificed herself to save the city of Sairaag. She went with honor and glory will forever hang about her name." Those were the only things he could think of to comfort the poor woman who had lost both her husband and her daughter within a year. Her face fell into a mask of despair, her eyes losing their shine and her shoulders hunching forward with the burden of sorrow he had just bestowed upon her. Jaylin's presence raised up in his mind with a sunshine yellow swirl of sympathy, that she tried to extend through him to her mother.   
  
Tyarli stepped away from his embrace, walking slowly to the cart where Berihn was helping Xellos down. She ran her hand over the surface of the wood, shaking her head as if to will the coffin away. Zel felt compelled to stand behind her, his hands on her trembling shoulders.  
  
"It's not fair is it?" She murmured in a choked tone, reaching a hand up to scrub a tear from her cheek.   
  
"No," he agreed, rubbing her arms gently. "It never is."   
  
"Her star must shine on in your eyes now." She sniffed, and he gathered her to him again, not being able to do anything else to help her except to hold her. Berihn came up to them with several other young men following him to get the coffin from the cart and to take care of the horse. His black eyes softened when he saw Ty in Zel's arms, and he quickly stepped to their side.   
  
"The Elder wishes to speak to you, Lord," he spoke low in Zel's ear. Zel glanced at the shaking woman he held tightly, but Berihn placed his hand on her back, allowing Zel to relinquish her to the Plainsman. She went readily, and it seemed natural for him to hold her that way.   
  
"I've made the necessary preparations for the funeral," the Elder said, his voice quivering both from age and sadness. "I only wish to know where you'd like the grave." Zel smiled, knowing exactly where to put it.  
  
"South from the valley, in the woods, there is a stone in the shape of a chair. It is this stone that I wish for her monument." The Elder nodded slowly, his hand to his chin.  
  
"I know the place," he finally said. "I shall set them working on it tonight while you and your companions rest yourselves. We shall hold the ceremony tomorrow if it pleases you."  
  
"Yes, as soon as possible would be best. Thank you." The old man shrugged, waving Zel away.  
  
"It is fine, now go and rest yourselves. A place has been prepared for you in the meeting house, and your horse has been taken care of." Zel nodded, several times, then went off for the meeting house, where Xellos, Berihn, and Tyarli already were. Jaylin's mother was making tea in the large fireplace, a forced smile on her face.  
  
"I must do something useful or drive myself mad," she quickly told Zel before he could order her away to grieve. Leston, Jaylin's younger brother, was there as well, huddled in a corner in a miserable ball. Zel spared him a long look, but there wasn't anything he could think of to say to him so he left him alone to his own sorrow.   
  
Berihn seemed torn between serving Xellos or Tyarli. In fact, ever since they had arrived his eyes never seemed to leave the woman. It could have been because she reminded him of Jaylin, or that she was in need of his comfort, or it might have been something else entirely. At this point, Zel really didn't care, his concerns were more on Xellos at the moment.   
  
The priest looked old and worn, wrapped in his cloak beside the large fireplace, his back propped against a wooden pillar and his eyes closed. Zel took the cup that Ty offered him, and placed it in Xellos' hands. The priest looked up, smirking as he lifted the cup to his lips.  
  
"How are you?" He asked softly, kneeling before him, watching the flame shadows flicker over his face. Maybe this time he would get a straight answer.   
  
"Tired, Zelgadis, I am tired." He wouldn't say more, only gave the teacup back to Zel, having taken only one sip, and curled up in his cloak in the straw. Zel shook his head, and Jaylin swirled through his mind with a worried mist of brown and gray.   
  
"Zel?" He twisted to look up at Tyarli standing over him. Leston was at her side, her arm comfortingly around his shoulders. "You'll be all right?" He gave Xellos a glance before nodding.   
  
"Yes, you don't have to worry about us. Just get on home." She hugged her son tight, reached out a hand to squeeze Zel's shoulder, and left the town meeting house to return to her own home. Berihn watched her go, an unreadable expression on his face. Zel didn't know what to make of him, but didn't really want to worry about it. He decided to go into the forests to think things through.   
  
The moon gave him very little light as he made his way through the tangle of branches to his old home, but he didn't need any help finding where he was going. He had grown up here, and he knew where everything was. Jaylin filled his mind with comfortable shades of red and blue as he walked. She knew where they were, might even be seeing through his eyes for all he could tell, and she was glad of the familiar surroundings. He could feel her excitement lightening his mood in its child like simplicity, and found himself smiling because of it.   
  
"Jaylin," he whispered into the night as he stood on the edge of the mountain that overshadowed the valley of Tegyrn. "What do you think of all this?" She swept through with a questioning haze of smoky gray. "Xellos' riddle, Xellos himself, what does he expect us to do?" There was a reassuring burst of red, but no explanations. Zel knew that she had a better understanding of what was happening, but no way to communicate it yet. It wasn't for lack of trying either. They had spent many nights like this, alone on the plains as they traveled to Tegyrn simply getting used to the idea of her being joined to him in this fashion. He understood her emotions now, but her thoughts were still shadowed from him. She tried, but their exercises together generally ended up with her quitting in a frustrated flash of black. In the end, Zel drew his sword, watching her soul twinkle inside the pommel, and going through the familiar comfort of the forms in the moonlight. There would be time for puzzling Xellos' riddle when the priest deemed it time to give him more information. In the meantime, there was the sword, and Jaylin, and the starlight.   
  
The sun shone brightly on the day of Jaylin's funeral, but the breeze carried the promise of the cool autumn. The entire town of Tegyrn was there, covering the fresh grave with the last of the summer's wildflowers. Zel stood apart, staring at the ground with indifference. Jaylin was not there, even now he could feel her, a warm presence in his mind. The only sorrow he felt was for Tyarli who stood with her son close beside her, holding her hand tightly. Berihn hovered at her other side, murmuring words of apology and comfort. Since the Plainsman had said that he would not be returning to Mestronia Zel suspected very strongly that he meant to stay with Ty. He shrugged, feeling very distant from those who had been a major part of his life just a short time ago. Lina and Gourry were gone, following their own path that would continue in circles throughout the land. Amelia more than likely training to become a shrine maiden in the holy city Seyruun. But what of himself? Was there nothing left to him but to follow the crazy priest all over creation? And what of the priest? He was standing next to the chimera, leaning on an oaken staff that had been cut for him, his eyes on the grave and a small smile on his lips.  
  
"What about you, Xellos?" He asked the man. "What will you do?"  
  
"We need to go home," he murmured, his voice a hoarse whisper that made Zel turn to consider him.   
  
"Where is that?" He asked quietly as the mourners made their way back to the town. The priest stared off to the west, his eyes longing and tired.   
  
"The mountains of Sairaag." Zel hung his head. They had just come from there, now they would have to go back? "That is where you'll be trained."  
  
"Why can I not be trained here?"  
  
"Because that is where she is waiting for me. I have to go to her before the summer ends." Relying heavily on the staff, Xellos began to pick his way back to town.   
  
"Her? What do you mean?"  
  
"Tariel, she's calling me to her, and she waits for me in Sairaag."  
  
"Xellos, you're ranting." He smirked, laboring his way through the makeshift trail made by the mourners.  
  
"No, it will be made perfectly clear to you on the way. We'll leave early tomorrow."   
  
"I do not think you are strong enough to make the journey again, at least not now.   
We'll stay here and rest a few days, until you're ready, and then if you still wish to do this, we'll go."  
  
"Tomorrow, Zelgadis, we're leaving tomorrow. No amount of rest is going to help me now, don't you understand? The Angel of Summer has flown and I am going with her before Meleyal takes her reign. I need to return to Sairaag, and I need you to --" He cut off, his hand raised to his temple, hunching over in some silent pain. Zelgadis grabbed his arm to steady him, watching him closely as he'd been doing for days for some sign of injury, but as usual couldn't find any. He felt Jaylin reach out her presence to him in comfort.  
  
"Easy, priest. If it is so important to you then we'll leave this afternoon, but I still don't think it is a good idea." Xellos smiled in the fashion that he used to that had a tendency to make Zel grind his teeth. He took a deep breath, straightening himself, and continued on toward the village moving very slowly. Zelgadis watched him, not knowing what to make of it all. If what Xellos had to teach him was so important, why was he procrastinating? What was in Sairaag that called him back with such force? He hadn't meant to get actual answers to these questions, it was simply idle wondering, but Jaylin attempted to respond anyway, and it surprised him. First there was a scarlet orb centered in the back of his head, resembling the staff that Xellos had carried where ever he went. He had yet to find the significance of that staff. He was puzzling what she meant to tell him with this, when it shattered exactly the way it had when Rezo had sent the spell through it, and a flash of crimson exploded in all directions. The flash was so intense he had to grab onto a tree to keep himself from becoming dizzy with the vision. Jaylin proceeded to show him a flame that grew smaller and dimmer until it had snuffed itself out completely. He knew she was trying to communicate with him, but was having difficulty understanding what she meant.   
  
"Xellos is dying isn't he?" He whispered into the cool autumn breeze. By now the priest was out of hearing distance, and he was safe speaking to himself out here in the protection of the trees. Assent filled him in a miserable shade of dark purple. "And that's why he wants to go home to Sairaag in such a hurry." There was a short puff of green, as if Jaylin had sighed, before she receded into a warm presence at the back of his skull. There was a certain sadness to the realization of that. True, Zel harbored no real love for the priest. He'd been manipulated far too much for that, but he had developed a respect for Xellos' power and knowledge.   
  
The Mestronians came to Tegyrn that night, their coming announced loudly by a bugle's note. Zel had almost forgotten that it was time for their yearly pilgrimage and for the choosing. And with Berihn there it was a wonder it was happening at all.   
  
Reskir was leading them, astride his pale sand colored horse, his dark hair waving into his eyes in the wind. The Elder came out to meet them, and the girls lined up as usual, but Berihn came out to stop it all. The Whitemaster was obviously ecstatic to see his lord again, leaping from his mount to grip his shoulders as if he expected never to see him alive.  
  
"What are you doing here, Berihn?" He asked, smiling broadly, stepping back to examine the master of Mestronia. "I'd thought you'd gone to see Rezo." Berihn shook his head.  
  
"That's a long story. One that a bard will sing someday."  
  
"I'll have time to listen on the way back, and since you are here I'll trust you to the Choosing."   
  
"There will be no choosing this year, Reskir." The girls in line began chittering among themselves while Zel watched from his perch on the town well. No choosing? Then Berihn was serious in saying that Mestronia would be no more. "As for the girls I wish for you to release them, except for Deseray. I want you to care for her. She has done more for us than you'll ever know. Take care of her and take Mestronia. It's yours now. The only thing I ask is that you do not use it in the way it has been used."  
  
"What of the other Colormasters? And the Breaker?"  
  
"They are free. I wish for Mestronia to redeem itself. There will be no more slaves. Go now. I will not be joining you." Reskir stared at the man as if he'd never seen him before, but he did nod his head in acceptance of his last wishes. The girls rushed back to the arms of their relieved families before anyone could change their minds. Jaylin swirled up in a happy yellow mist at the decision, and Zel smiled in reaction to her. Reskir mounted his horse again, giving the signal to the men who accompianied him that they were to go on ahead. He turned his beast to follow, but looked back once more at the Plainsman.  
  
"Deseray?" He asked, the beginnings of a smile on his lips.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"And you're staying here?"  
  
"For good." He shrugged, then spurred the horse to catch his companions as they made their way back to Mestronia. Only, there would be no Mestronia once they reached it. The slave trade was dying. Soon there would be no more slaves to be found in any land. Young girls could remain with in their homes, and stories like Jaylin's and Zel's could cease to exist.   
  
"You've made the right choice, Plainsman," Zel said as Berihn walked past. "I have a request since you are staying here." He stopped, giving Zel a glance.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Tomorrow I'm going back to Sairaag with the priest. I need you to watch out for Tyarli for me."  
  
"Back to Sairaag? Why would you need to do this?"  
  
"It is as the priest wants. He has something to teach me. You know how he is. Nothing straightforward if he can go about it in a secretive manner." Berihn nodded in understanding.  
  
"I've noticed. Very well. I'll do as you ask," he paused to give the chimera a wink. "And with pleasure." Zel didn't know how he felt about Berihn becomming involved with Ty, but his worry for the priest superseded what he thought about the match. Jaylin didn't seem to mind, or she might just be too preoccupied with something else to be paying much attention.  
  
Ty was waiting for him when he reached the meeting hall that night. Xellos was already there, curled up in the straw, apparently asleep. She smiled in welcome, coming to embrace him quickly in a maternal gesture.   
  
"He told me that you were leaving tomorrow," she began, nodding to where the priest was curled in his cloak. "I've packed some food for you, and some tea for him. He's going to need it, I think. It really isn't a good idea for him to travel. He's so exhausted I'm afraid he's going to make himself sick."  
  
"I know, but he's set to do this. There's no talking him out of it now. It's very important to him."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I don't care either way. I have nothing to hold me here, or in Sairaag. I may as well follow the priest. I doubt he'd make it back home by himself."  
  
"You'll come back won't you?"   
  
"I don't know. Perhaps I'll find my way home again, but if not I've made sure that you will be cared for."  
  
"I'm not worried about that. I can care for myself in any case. I'm more worried about you." He smiled at her, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"You shouldn't. I've got everything I need."  
  
"I'm getting tired of farewell, Zelgadis."  
  
"You aren't the only one." He smiled in what he hoped was a soothing manner as she gathered her things and departed for home, the moonlight shimmering over her hair as she walked. Berihn met up with her before she'd gotten too far, and together they made their way.  
  
"They will be safe here," croaked Xellos' voice, making Zel turn from the doorway to see him sitting up and staring. "Nothing can harm them now."  
  
"That is a good thing to know," Zel allowed, coming to sit cross-legged before the priest. "Everything is arranged. We can leave first thing in the morning." He nodded tiredly.  
  
"Well done." He lowered himself back down to the straw, and was asleep within moments. All Zel could do was shake his head in wonderment, and then fell asleep himself as he enjoyed the swirling gray-green that Jaylin sent into his head as she herself rested.  
  
  
  



	26. The Final Secret of Summer

Chapter 26: The Final Secret of Summer  
  
Berihn and Tyarli were against the trip, as was Zel, but they did arise early to see them off the next morning. Xellos hunched over the saddle, looking so weak and exhausted that Zel gave serious thought to tying him down so he wouldn't fall off. The provisions were packed neatly into saddle bags, two of which hung on either side of the horse, and the others were across Zel's shoulders. The tea kettle Ty had given him made a comforting rattle with every step. Berihn shook his hand, and Ty gave him one last embrace, not saying anything. Zel took up the lead rein and they began to make their way up the side of the valley and onto the main road leading to the plains.   
  
The first three days of the journey went by in absolute silence. Zel concentrated on the path and the position of the sun, while Xellos rode in whatever private thoughts were going on inside his secretive mind. Any other time it would have driven Zel insane, but now he didn't really mind the quiet. Besides, Jaylin was always there with her mists of color to take up his thoughts.   
  
It was on the fifth night that Xellos began Zel's training. It was after their makeshift camp had been constructed. Zel never made camp before, but as Xellos was so weak and had sometime begun to be quite cold with the wind that blew down from the Sairaag mountain range, he was forced to build a fire and try to keep the priest as comfortable as possible. It was there that Xellos first told Zel the legend of the Angel of Summer, making Zel remember a children's rhyme from when he was young. From a time when the name Shabranigdo brought no ripple of fear down his spine, and the Lord of Fire was a myth.  
  
"So it was true," he heard himself say in an incredulous tone, shaking his head as if to make it easier to believe. "And the Fire Lord sits before me as I speak."   
  
"Time changes things, Zelgadis. Once I was a hero, and now I am a nuisance.   
Your story will be the same one day. All of your great achievements and sacrifices for the world will be remembered only in bard's songs and in snatches of rhyme. The world will change around you, yet you will remain unchanged."  
  
"I'll be long gone before then."  
  
"Jaylin has made you immortal. You will not age, you cannot die." This gave him pause. If he was the Warrior of southern soil, and Xellos the Warrior of western fire why was it that Zel would live when it was obvious that the priest was dying?  
  
"I cannot die, yet you weaken with every mile. How is this as you said yourself that we are the same?" He sighed, pulling his cloak tighter around him.  
  
"Where does your power come from? What gives you your strength?" He thought about that for a moment. He had always thought the power as coming from the demon he was joined with, but he was sure that Xellos was hinting at something different. "Jaylin," he continued when Zel had not given him an answer. "Jaylin is your source of power now. She is your strength, and she is your life. If her soul were to be loosed from the pommel of your sword, then you would be as I am. The staff was where Tariel's soul was kept, and once it was broken, she was broken from me. I am left alone, with only the strength of a mortal who has lived too long upon the earth."  
  
"But if you die how will the warriors face the enemy at Armageddon? You said there must be four."  
  
"There will be four. As time moves I will be reborn into another body so everything can be as dictated by the ancients. You simply need to keep watch for me, and the other warriors as well."  
  
"How will I know you? How will I know any of them for that matter?"  
  
"We are bound together because we are meant for the same fate. You will recognize them when you find them."  
  
"And the E'raan? How am I to find her?"  
  
"First of all, do not be so narrow minded as to think it will always be a female. The roles of E'raan and Warrior may be reversed so long as they share a perfect love. That's the key." It was an impossible thing to ask. How could Zel find one person among the billions who were to cross the earth in years to come? Any other time he would have thrown up his hands at such a notion, but Jaylin filled his head with such a clear confident crystal that he was assured it could be done.   
  
"But how can I be sure?"  
  
"There are similarities that follow the E'raan. That is how I found Jaylin. I knew her because she was left handed, as Tariel was."  
  
"So the next E'raan will be left handed?"  
  
"Not necessarily, but there will be something that she does or some characteristic that she carries that will be a habit of Jaylin's that you will remember clearly. Perhaps she'll have cobalt eyes and silver hair. Maybe she'll play the guitar in a melody that you shared. Nothing is certain except the name."  
  
"I'm sorry, but could you explain that?"  
  
"Tariel is the name for the Angel of Summer, correct?"  
  
"Well, yes, but Jaylin means nothing like that."  
  
"All the E'raans will be named for an angel of a season. Jaylin's slave name was Meleyal, the Angel of Autumn. You will seek the Angel of Winter."  
  
"Is there a reason for this?"  
  
"The elements are each strongest in a season. Fire for summer, earth for the harvesting autumn, wind for the harsh winter, and water for the life giving spring. The E'raan will be named for their season, and they will also be born during that time."  
  
"How will I know when to start looking?"  
  
"When technology advances itself to a higher use of weaponry. The Warriors will combine fighting styles across time to combat in Armageddon. My specialty is magic and time manipulation. Yours is the sword."  
  
"But when you die that magic will be lost."  
  
"No, you will have the knowledge of it before that happens. I will make certain, but that is enough for right now. You need time to think it over, and I need time to rest. We'll continue in the morning." He shuddered as he rolled himself beside the fire, closing his eyes before Zel had a chance to ask another question. Jaylin reached out to him as Zel placed his cloak over the sleeping priest, sending through Zel's fingers a warm sensation in a flickering of orange and red. She wasn't exactly worried about him as she knew what was happening, but she was sad that he had to suffer so and did all she could for him in her own way.  
  
Zel moved back away from the fire, wanting to feel the cool wind around him. He watched it sweep the plain grasses in waves of green and brown, feeling content with its simplicity. If only everything could be as simple as the wind over the grass waves.  
  
"You knew all of this before, didn't you?" He whispered into the starlight, his hand covering his sword without him realizing he had moved. Assent filled him in a blushing red of guilt. "I suppose you had to keep it secret. I probably wouldn't have believed you even if you had said something, and still. . .it seems so incredible." He was a lot of things, had done much more than most people, experienced magic and battles that some people would never see, yet this was almost too much. Now he would live until the end of the world, when a while back he thought he wouldn't live through one encounter with Rezo. It was so odd to think how the world could change in just a few days. Well, perhaps not the world, but his thoughts on it were what had changed. It was a big responsibility he had been given. He was to be a protector of the earth, and once Xellos was gone he would be the sole person who could find the other warriors. Life, he finally decided as he paced about the plain, was odd. Jaylin chuckled in a zigzag of blue and green.  
  
"I have something for you, Zelgadis," Xellos said when Zel returned to camp the next morning. He had been pondering his role in the master plan all night, but hadn't come to any definite conclusion on why he had been chosen, nor had he become any more certain of what he was going to do now that he knew that role.  
  
The priest fumbled in his cloak pocket for a moment, his eyes ribboned with fatigue and concentration. He pulled from the folds a very old book, bound in soft leather instead of rolled into a scroll. Zel took it carefully, finding it so heavy it was a wonder the priest had been able to lift it. He scanned the pages, and cocked his head. It was written entirely in a language he did not recognize.  
  
"What good is a book I cannot read?" He wondered aloud, still searching the words as if the meaning would jump out at him if he looked at it hard enough.  
  
"That is of infinite worth. I trust you will care for it as such," murmured the priest as he stiffly rose from the ground with the assistance of the oaken staff.   
  
"But what is in it?"  
  
"The knowledge of the old magic, that which I use. Every spell you will ever need to know is in that book."  
  
"Xellos, I cannot read it."  
  
"Jaylin can."  
  
"How?"  
  
"She can see things differently than you can. She will let you know what it says, and the language barrier will keep it safe from any who would try to steal it from you." He decided to let the matter drop. He would keep the book of course, but Jaylin couldn't speak to him yet. It would probably be a long time before he would know what was written on the yellowed pages.  
  
Xellos' cry brought him from his study. Turning, he tucked the book into his own cloak pocket. The priest had collapsed, lacking the strength to get back up or even to move. Zel hurried to his side, slipping his arm under his shoulders to raise him to a sitting position.  
  
"We. . .have to hurry," Xellos stuttered, his eyes closed and his breathing uneven. "Autumn is . . .coming." He shuddered with a sudden chill, making Zel hold to him tightly. They were only a couple more days away from Sairaag, but Zel wondered if he would make it that far. He made a small struggle against the chimera, trying to rise, but failing.  
  
"Give yourself a moment," he soothed calmly. "Then we'll be off." Xellos gave a shaky sigh, but lacked the power to move on his own. He rested against Zel for a short time, until the chimera helped him to his feet once more and all but lifted him into the saddle. Not taking any chances, he was forced to tie him in place so he couldn't fall. All the while Jaylin sent her warm presence through Zel's fingers, trying to ease the shaking of the Fire Lord.  
  
Two days later they passed through the city of Sairaag. The holy tree seemed to have recovered nicely, and apart from a few buildings that were being rebuilt one would never have known a battle had taken place there. Zel pleaded with his companion to stop somewhere to rest, but Xellos wouldn't hear of it. He refused to pause, even for an hour, when they were so close. He shook all the time now, and his sentences came in broken fragments when he could speak at all. The tea Tyarli had given them helped sometimes to warm him, but he was chilled by something other than the wind. It was a sad thing to watch him suffering and dying that way, but there wasn't anything Zelgadis could do to help him.  
  
They made camp that night in the mountains, near a tree that appeared to have been split in two by lightning, but two new branches had grown out of the separate parts, and had woven together into a spiral. This, Xellos had said, was where Tariel had been killed, and it was also where he himself would die. Zel spread his cloak over the rocky ground, helping Xellos prop himself up against the tree and building a fire closeby in a vain attempt to keep him warm. The priest muttered something that Zel could not understand, but he let it go. He couldn't be bothered by the Shaman's questions anymore.   
  
After tethering the horse and slipping its feedbag into place over its nose, they had long passed any decent fodder for it, so it now had to be fed out of what they had brought with them, Zel sat across from Xellos to ponder over the book. The letters were neat and straight, if small, but the longer he looked the more blurred they became. There didn't appear to be any sentences or paragraphs, simply uniform blocks of information.  
  
"How about it Jaylin?" He thought as he turned a page. "Can you read it?" She nodded with the clear sureness of silver. "But you can't read it to me." A muddy brown came as a definite no. "That's all right, we'll work on it." The silver blue stone in his sword winked at him with the flicker of firelight, making him smile softly.   
  
The wind bit cold the next day, the last day of summer, leaving only the brightness of the sun to bear testimony of the season. The leaves of the tree, already golden and red, shook violently and many were blown away. Zel created a ward around the priest and the fire, trying to keep them protected from the icy blasts, but it didn't do much good. The priest's weakness made him shiver despite the heat inside the ward. Zel brewed him some tea, the only thing he could drink anymore, not being strong enough to eat anything, but he could barely hold it as his hands were trembling so hard.  
  
"This is it, Zelgadis," he murmured through smirking lips and chattering teeth as he tried to hold the cup still enough to get a taste of the liquid it held. "It's the last day of summer. Meleyal takes her reign and Tariel comes for me tonight!" How eager he sounded, but Zel couldn't blame him. She was more than his power, she was his very life. He understood the priest, to a certain extent, now that he had Jaylin with him. It would be a terrible thing if she were to be suddenly ripped away, and he could see how it would have that sort of effect on Xellos. The priest would suffer no longer when she came for him, and would be better off with her caring for him, but still Zel regretted it having to be this way. Xellos had understood so much, and he still had to explain so many things. Zel simply didn't trust himself enough to take the burden alone. There hadn't been enough time. Why was there never enough time?  
  
"Are you in pain?" Zel asked, steadying his hand enough so that he could drink. He gave a shuddering sigh, closing his eyes.  
  
"That doesn't matter anymore," he whispered, relinquishing the rest of the tea to Zel, having only taken that one sip. "Nothing matters." Zel wanted to shout that of course it mattered, but repressed himself. Even if the priest was suffering, there would be nothing he could do about it. "Leave me Zelgadis." He nodded, rising to pace about the camp, as he had been doing for the past several nights, doing nothing but meandering and thinking. He wondered if he himself would be so calm at his moment of death, doubting very much if he would be. How could Xellos be so detached? What was all the nonsense about Meleyal's reign and Tariel coming back to the place to retrive him? Jaylin gave him bursts of reassurance when his frustration and helplessness grew too much for him to bear. He found himself quite a ways from the makeshift camp, his sword drawn. This was what he could always fall back on. The sword was never changing, and the forms could give him a release from life. He needed to forget who he was for just a little while, and what would happen that night if what Xellos had told him was true.   
  
Tariel came for him at sunset, just when the burning sphere was touching the horizon in the distant mountains. At first Zel thought she was simply a traveler who had wandered onto their campsite. He spotted her as he was moving with the forms, she was only a black speck silhouetted against the blinding light of the sun. He didn't know what to make of her, didn't think much of her, but did want to get back to Xellos as she seemed to be heading in that direction and he didn't want him to be alone and unprotected. Not that she would do anything, but he decided to hurry down there just in case.  
  
"Someone's coming," he announced as he sprinted to the tree. Xellos stirred slightly, opening his eyes to consider the chimera. He then looked about, as if he couldn't remember exactly where he was.   
  
"It's her," he stuttered, struggling to stand but lacking the strength. "She's come for me at last."  
  
"Tariel? But how can that be?" Tariel was dead, her soul released from the staff. How could it be possible for her to come after him in what looked to Zel like a tangible, physical form?  
  
"Don't bother me with questions just help me to my feet. I want to be standing when she arrives." Zel bit his tongue to keep himself silent, forcing himself to be content with simply witnessing what was about to happen. With some effort he pulled the priest upright, but had to stay next to him, holding him up so he could remain that way. He trembled under the chimera's hands, reminding Zel that it was better this way. No one should have to live like this in such shivering agony. Jaylin sent warmth flooding down Zel's arms into the priest, trying to help him as much as she could. It made Xellos smirk.  
  
"Thank you, Meleyal," Zel heard him whisper in his broken voice. "But there's no need any longer. Save your strength for something more important. Your autumn is too cold for me, but I shall soon be warmed by the fire angel of summer." He broke off then, unable to speak because of his chattering teeth and weariness.  
  
"There she is," Zel murmured in a voice of pure awe as the young woman finally topped the last ridge in the mountain and began making her way over to them. He couldn't believe she was actually there. Jaylin receeded from the priest as she came into view, backing down in a reverant, dull white.  
  
"Stand away, Zelgadis," Xellos strained to make his words heard. "She will burn you if you remain too close."  
  
"You will fall." He shook his head, violet eyes focused on Tariel.  
  
"No. She is my support now, as she always has been. Farewell Zelgadis, until we meet again." Zelgadis left his side, backing away as the silent woman came forward. If Zelgadis had been alone in the mountains he would have taken her for a hallucination born of the twilight shadows. But she was real, tangible, and ineffably beautiful. She moved steadily, never faltering in footstep and never turning her eyes from those of the priest. Poised elegance followed her as her train, and there was a sureness that radiated from her perfected form. She wore a long dress, belted at the waist, the color of blue flame with flecks of black at the hems. The air about her shimmered as it would in a desert, making her seem alive with heat. She never looked at Zelgadis, and for that he was grateful. He found himself unable to move, unable to turn his head away from her calmly advancing form, frozen by fire to the spot. Her hair hung about her face in the rolling waves of a raging flame, the color of the blood red sunset that gleamed behind her. Zelgadis looked into her eyes only once, and once he had seen them any doubt he had of recognizing her once she was reborn vanished. They were fierce and sharp, flickering the same color as her smoky blue gown that streamed behind her as a fire being blown by the wind. She was fire herself, her entire presence a fire personified into human form. This was the source of the Fire Lord's power, Tariel, the Angel of Summer.  
  
As she came closer, Xellos let the oaken staff that had been supporting him fall to the ground. His knees failed him, but Tariel rushed forward with the sound of a roaring inferno to catch him in her embrace. They both fell to their knees in the grass, Xellos cradled protectively in the arms of his best friend. He stopped trembling as the heat that shimmered from the woman encompassed him. All Zel could do was watch in utter fascination at what was taking place. So this is what Xellos had meant when he kept repeating that Tariel was coming for him. It was simply too amazing.   
  
Not a word passed between them. She held him tightly as the sun continued its descent behind the mountains, silent and strong. Zel had no way of knowing exactly how powerful she was, but he had the idea that it was beyond his imagination anyway. Xellos watched her carefully, savoring how she looked in her physical form. He had almost forgotten how enchanting she was, forgotten how her eyes snapped, flickering with light. It was heaven itself to be held by her that way, and beyond description to be kissed by her. He wanted to say her name, tell her everything that had happened to him after she had gone, how empty and alone he had felt, but she already knew. They were one again, and they would stay that way until time decided to give them new bodies and the cycle would begin a final time. She knew his thoughts, feelings, hurts, everything that belonged to him was also a part of her, as it should be.  
  
Jaylin danced about Zel's consciousness in happy tendrils of every color. He smiled, placing his hand over his sword, knowing that they were as close as the duo before him and finding that comforting. The wind still blew strongly, carrying with it the chill of autumn, but it had no effect on Xellos and Tariel. They were secure in the heat of summer fire.   
  
The last light of day was just sinking below the horizon when Tariel bent down to kiss Xellos. It was a gentle kiss, given with much love, but it had deeper meaning than what kisses usually indicate. As it went on, Xellos' shoulders ceased their rise and fall as he stopped breathing. It gave Zel a quick moment of fear, but he relaxed again as he realized that with the kiss Tariel was taking his life into herself. He was becomming part of her as she had once been part of him. This was the reason that Xellos had been so calm, completely at peace with the idea of dying. He knew it would be like this.   
  
Once the priest's soul was joined with Tariel, she stood from her kneeling position, leaving the body behind. He was no longer there, and she had no more interest in it. Her hands rose up to her chest, held there as if in prayer. She looked at Zelgadis, favoring him a smile that could only mean that she was wishing him luck in the task ahead, and then she was gone, vanished in a conduit of smoke just as the sun set. The chill of the wind cooled his face now that the fiery angel had gone, and he enjoyed its feeling over his face.  
  
"Farewell Xellos," he whispered to the stars, smiling. He wondered for a short time what would happen once the next Warrior and E'raan were born, but discarded it quickly. There would be time to think of that later, perhaps a thousand years later. He realized that for now, time had no meaning. For once there was no where he needed to be, and nothing he needed to do.  
  
"We made it, Jaylin," he murmured. "And now we're free." He breathed in deeply, reveling in the night air, wanting to shout from the very tallest of the mountains who he was and what he had accomplished. Life had never seemed so vibrant, and he wanted to savor the moment for as long as he could.  
  
He buried Xellos' body that night, at the foot of the twisted tree where he knew the priest would want his grave. There was no sorrow, it was just something he was doing for the courtesy of the thing. He knew where Xellos was, and it was a great improvement from when he had been trapped inside the weakened body. It was for Tariel to care for him now, until the time for the rebirth came. Now that he understood the priest, he could forgive him for all of the secrets that he kept, and how infuriating he had been at times. It had to be that way for anything to work. He hoped as he worked that the next Warrior wouldn't be so difficult to train as he himself had been. He snickered as he remembered Xellos shaking a finger at him as if he were a child and telling him that the answer to his question was a secret. Truly, to Xellos he had been a child, but now he understood everything. He fell asleep that night under the stars, content with the world and everything in it. And while he rested, Jaylin flooded his mind with a kaleidoscope of beautiful hues.  
  
The horse nuzzled him awake the next morning, wanting to be fed. He slipped the bag into place over its nose, allowing him to eat while he saddled him. The dawn gleamed on the golden leaves of the trees as far as Zel could see. Up here in the mountains the world seemed to belong to him, and he almost believed it when he saw the view. The first day of autumn, he thought to himself as he looked upon far off Sairaag as the sun revelead it to him, the first day of Meleyal's reign.   
  
"Look, Jaylin," he spoke to her as if she were standing next to him. "What lies ahead of us down there do you think?"  
  
"Now that, my friend," he heard her voice echo within his mind, startling him with it's clarity. "Is a secret." He laughed as he mounted the horse, beginning his quest for the next E'raan.  
  
The fame of Zelgadis Greywers expanded to all the lands. How he had faced Shabranigdo, and helped to destroy the resurrected demon beast Zanaffar. People spoke in awe of his power, but he was rarely seen. As the years went on his legend faded in their minds until it was only a song written by the world reknowned bard, Leston of Tegyrn, and the truth of it became unsure. However, though his memory fades, he himself still haunts the forests of the south, studying an ancient book of magic by day and practicing his sword by starlight, waiting for the world to resurrect itself into a new era, when his search will begin anew, and the Warrior of Nothern Wind will be born.  
  



End file.
